The ABC of Limp Sam
by LittleLonnie
Summary: The Alphabet of limp!Sam. Different stories every chapter. Brother bonding, bad times, good times, other characters... stories with heart. Hurt!Comfort. Limp!Sam Pro!Dean some limp!Dean. COMPLETE
1. Abdominal Wound

**Title:** The ABC of limp!Sam  
**Author:** Lonnie  
**Genre:** Hurt/Comfort/Angst  
**Characters:** Sam & Dean  
**Summary:** All kinds of limp!Sam. In fact, the whole alphabet!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sam or Dean or anything Supernatural sadly :/ The ideas for this ABC fic is thanks to everyone over at limp-sam's forum! If it's done before, then sorry, but there's a lot of fics out there and this is just simply my version XD

Thanks to my fellow limp!Sam fan **Ravanne** for BETA reading my story!! =)

* * *

**A - Abdominal Wound**

_Set right after Sam and Dean jump through the church window in "I Know What You Did Last Summer"_

"Fucking hell..." Dean groaned from the pain that shot down his arm and it takes just one look to know his shoulder had been dislocated,

"Remind me not to do that again," he moaned and looked over at Sam to make sure that he was okay before glancing up at the window they had just jumped through. Jumping through the window had never seemed like a good idea, but they hadn't had any other choice. He looked over at Sam again who stands bent over by the Impala, bleeding from his arm and seemingly on his chest.

"You okay?" he asked as he walked over to his baby and got ready to sit in behind the wheel.

"Yeah.. and no you don't," Sam stopped him by shutting the car door before Dean could get in,

"You're not driving with a dislocated shoulder." He received one hell of a bitchface from his big brother, but Dean handed over the keys. As Dean walked around to the other side of the car, Sam moved the hand he was carefully covering the wound on his stomach with.

It wasn't that long of a drive to the motel, but it was long enough that by the time they were there, Dean had yelled his throat sore from the times Sam has unconsciously driven the car way too close to the edge of the road, only to steer into the wrong lane.

"That's the last time I let you drive, Sam!" Dean groaned, glaring at Sam.

"What? I did better then you would've with one arm!" Sam argued back.

"I'd rather drive with a one armed man then a half conscious one!" Dean calmed down , but his brow furrowed a little in worry. He leaned over carefully and moved Sam's hand a bit away from where there's blood on his shirt.

"That explains it," he mumbled before leaning back and lookd at Sam. He looked half awake, but his bitchy attitude seemed to be working just fine.

"Can we just get in? I'd like to get this stitched," Sam mumbled as he climbed out of the car .

Dean glared at Sam's back as his brother get's out. They find their way into the motel room. Dean remembered they have a first aid kit in the trunk so he went to get it. Sam sat on the bed waiting for him and held out a hand for the kit. Dean had just shook his head and told him he would do it, but Sam had refused help.

*_*_*

"I could have done that for you, you know," Dean said quietly from where he stood, watching his little brother stitch the wound on his bicep. He took a sip from the bottle of wiskey he held before Sam reached out his hand for it. Dean expected Sam to take a sip, but instead he let the contents run over the newly stitched wound, wincing in pain. It made sense for Sam to use the wiskey to clean the wound. It was the best antiseptic he had on hand, but it was hard to see his brother causing himself pain, even if it was for his own good. Usually it was Dean who treated his wounds for him. With a careful hand. It was just another sign of how deeply things had changed between them. His little brother would rather stitch up his own injuries rather than allow Dean to help him, despite being only half-conscious.

"Come on." Sam stood up and swayed a bit, but he waved Dean closer. Dean wanted to protest, not wanting Sam to attempt setting his shoulder back into place when he was still bleeding from his abdominal wound, but he knows he was going to be of no help as until he got his arm straightened out.

"On three," Sam said and placed his hands on Dean's shoulder. "One…"

Before Dean could prepare himself, the joint snapped back into place. The sudden shock drowned out any response other then a loud groan of pain. The dizziness took a long moment to fade before he was steady enough to make his way back into the bathroom . When his sight cleared he saw Sam lying back on the bed, his chest rising quickly up and down and his hand resting uselessly on the wound.

He rushed to his little brother and found Sam blinking tiredly up at him, looking like a kicked puppy. Dean's heart ached slightly at the sight. It had been a long time since he had seen his gigantor little brother so innocent-looking and hurting.

"I guess you'll let me take care of this wound?" Dean gave Sam a crooked smile as he sat down on the bed next to him and peeled away the shirt from the wound to check the injury for himself. He made a disgusted face at the sight.

"Sam. You got pieces of glass in the wound!" he exclaimed, not bothering to hide his shock and looked down at Sam's face again. Sam's eyes drifted closed and he didn't bother to open them, just waving his bloody hand lazily.

"N'hosp'tal," he mumbled tiredly as Dean grabbed the first aid kit and dug out a pair of tweezers to pick out the glass and started to clean the wound. Throughout the painful process, Sam didn't make a sound of protest, letting his brother care for him and Dean was reminded of a time when things were always like this between them. When they trusted each other to do what was right for the other without question.

Dean didn't know how long it took to get all the glass shards out of Sam. By the time he was finally done and the wound was stitched and bandaged properly, Sam was sound asleep. Carefully so as not to disturb Sam, Dean got up and limped to the bathroom to wash the blood off of his hands. He was able to see his brother still form reflected in the mirror and sighed. He felt horrible for thinking it, but it made him feel good when Sam really needed him nowadays, even if it seemed to be only when he was really hurt. He finished up and turned off the bathroom lights as he went to his own bed beside Sam. He sat on the bed for a few moments, running his hands through his short hair and looked at Sam.  
"G'night, Sammy," he mumbles before laying down under the thin sheets.

* * *

There is much more to come!! Enjoy! =)


	2. Bludgeoned

Thanks for all the comments!! I hope you like the new chapter!

_Still thanks to** Ravanne** for beta reading!_

* * *

**B - Bludgeoned**

**  
**_Set during "Changing Channels"_

_  
_"Where the hell are we now?" Sam let out a loud groan of annoyance. They didn't have time for this shit. The world was ending and of focusing on stopping Lucifer, he and Dean were trapped by the Trickster in a warped television alternate universe. The Trickster kept sending them to all kinds of TV shows and commercials, each one more bizarre then the last. This time they found themselves standing in a seemingly empty dark alley.

"Ugh I hope we're not in another one of those Procedural Cop Shows, Dean muttered as they walked quietly through the alley.

"We just came from one. Doubt this is another one," Sam answered with a nervous smile.

"Didn't you hear what I said back there? There's at least three…" Dean stopped suddenly when he heard footsteps coming up from behind them. Dean turned slowly and spotted the owner of the voice. A smaller man with red-ish blond hair. Maybe in his mid thirties.

"Gimme ye'r moneys!" The voice had an decidedly Irish accen, but any smart-assed comments from Dean were silenced when he spotted the gun pointed at them.

"Relax man. We don't have anything," Dean insisted. The clothes they were wearing didn't really belong to them and by the looks of them a wallet wouldn't be found in any of the pockets.

"Don't lie! Give'em to me!" the man screamed, waving the gun towards Sam's face. Dean had learned the hard way that getting shot on TV was just as real as being shot in real life, and this guy looked unhinged enough to carry out on his threat. He focused on the man, noticing how he's shaking. Just their luck, to be faced off with a twitchy mugger who wasn't even real, but that didn't make him any less dangerous.

"Okay, look..." Dean held his hands up as to show that he wasn't up to anything and reached for his empty back pocket. The gun that had been aimed at Sam was suddenly pointed directly at him.

As if on cute, as soon as the man focused on Dean, Sam took the opportunity and threw himself at the man, wrenching the gun out of his hands and threw it as far away as possible. The mugger shouted in anger as the gun vanished into the dark alley. He pulled his arm back and aimed his fist at Sam's face, hitting mark. It didn't take long for Sam to recover and throw a punch back.

"Sam!" Dean yelled as his little brother and the robber hit the ground, punches being thrown from both. The robber got up before Sam and managed to run a few meters before the taller man caught up with him. The man turned around with a dirty old bat in his hands that he seemed to pull out of thin air and swung it directly at Sam's head. Sam jumped back instinctively which probably saved him from a broken jaw, but the bat hit its mark. The tall figure fell to the ground unconscious, arms stretched limply over his head.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled and ran after the mugger. The other man ran out of the alley, but Dean didn't give chase, instead he rushed back to Sam's side. To his horror, Sam had not moved since being hit.

"I called for ambulance!" A woman's voice announed. Dean barely glanced at the young woman standing at the front of the alley, her cell phone still at her ear as the two children huddled close to her.

"Damn it," Dean cursed.

"Excuse me?" the woman frowned in surprise.

"I mean, thanks," he hurriedly said, not wanting to offend the imaginary woman that helped them. He didn't want to go through fake hospitals and talk to fake police and fake doctors anymore. He just wanted to get back to the real world where he and Sam could take out that Trickster once and for all.

"Sammy?" Dean said gently, hoping for a response. He checked Sam's pulse and breathing, but Sam showed no signs of waking. He had a nasty wound growing along the side of his jaw, but besides that the boy was out cold. He sighed and sat back on the ground, resting Sam's head on his lap,

"I wonder what kind of TV show this is..." he muttered, annoyed and frightened.

"What did you say?" Dean look up in surprise, seeing the woman who had called for help.

"Lady, I appreciate your help, but you can leave us alone now," he groaned when the woman looked beyond offended,

"Look! You're not real! None of this is! Just leave me alone! I don't need some fake-woman bitching right now!"

The woman huffed offended and marched off with her kids. The ambulance was there impossibly quickly and two men jumped out. They quickly examined Sam, checking his vital signs and looked unnecessary worried.

"Guys!" Dean jumped up when the two paramedics lifted Sam onto a gurney and into the ambulance,  
"He's just unconscious damn it!" he had grown up with Sam and he had lost the count of how many times the kid had been knocked out throughout their lives, and most of the times they hadn't needed hospital. This time didn't seem any different, but the paramedics kept acting as if he was on the brink of death.

"You're coming with us?" one paramedic looked at Dean as Sam was carefully loaded into the ambulance. Dean doesn't even bother to answer that and climbed into the cab with his brother.

_*_*_*_

"Ugh, hands off!"

Sam had woken up in the ambulance. Grimacing in pain, but very much alive and very, very cranky. Dean tried to calm his angry brother without much luck and he couldn't blame him. The paramedic was fussing over Sam like a mother hen, his attention seemed more like an overkill given Sam's relatively minor injuries. The oxygen mask and IV fluids really seemed unnecessary.

"Sam! Sam it's okay. Just let him do his job," Dean couldn't help but snicker when Sam started swatting at the paramedic's hands every time he came too close.

"Well he sucks at it... ," Sam looked up at the stranger when he injected something into the IV tube.

"He's drugging me!" he whined as the paramedic pulled out the syringe.

"Hey, what the hell does that help?" Dean growled at the paramedic as Sam's fell into sleep again. The other man just kept ignoring him.

Sam woke up again as he was rolled down the halls of the hospital in a hurry, nurses pulling at his clothes. Dean followed close behind, thinking maybe he should try and save his brother from the nurses, but let it be. It wasn't in the script for them to harm Sam.

The last thing he heard as Sam is wheeled off is his little brother's high pitched voice complain, "Ah! He didn't kick me down there!"

_*_*_*_

"How'd the groping go?" Dean held a coffee in his hands when he entered Sam's room. Sam was sitting up in bed looking ever so grumpy with can of flat soda in his hands.

"I managed to convince them that there's no need to check 'down there' when it hurts here," Sam complained and carefully rubbed a hand over the bruises on the side of his jaw.

"You're such a prude. You had like three hot nurses all eager getting your clothes off and all you can think of is pride?" Dean laughed. Sam doesn't deign to answer him.

"Hey, Sammy?" Dean sat down on the bed next to Sam.

"Mhm?" Sam looked up from the soda he'd been drinking.

"I forgot to tell you that there's at least three hundred Hospital shows as well." He smiled cheekily at Sam's look of disgust.


	3. Chloroformed

New chapter! Thanks for the sweet comments both here and on LJ! I hope you still enjoy and let me know if you like, if you don't like (constructive critism), if you have any suggestons for limp!Sam's...

_Thanks to fellow limp!Sam-girl, **Ravanne** for beta reading!_

* * *

**C - Chloroformed**

**  
**_Summary: The deadline to say "Yes" to Lucifer and Michael is just around the corner._

_  
_"What time is it?" Dean rolled his head to look at Bobby from where he was resting it against the wall. He could see Bobby in the dim light from the flashlight they had on, but it made it hard to catch details on the older man's face.  
"For crap's sake, Dean. How old are you?" Bobby grumbled. "It's five minutes later then last time you asked."  
The three hunters were sitting in attic of a small church in a abandoned town where the locals had fled for their lives. They had run out of time and Michael and Lucifer were both seeking their vessels and ready to demand their consents. Dean sat with his gun in his lap, same did Bobby and Sam. They had also made sure they had the backup weapons ready too, lying close by.  
"I can't just sit here and wait, Bobby!" Dean complained and stood up, pacing around the dusty,attic. He stopped suddenly when they heard bone chilling screams coming from outside. Dean crouched low crept closer to one of the windows and peeked out, seeing the streets painted red with blood and numerous mangled bodies. A calling card left for Sam and him.  
"That's it," Sam said softly, speaking for the first time in hours. He stood up, tightens his hold on the gun and began to head towards the door, only to be physically stopped from leaving by his brother.  
"I can't just sit here and wait, Dean!" Sam insisted, his voice showing the strain that the hurt and guilt had taken on him. "Lucifer wont stop until I say 'yes'. More and more innocent people will die!"  
"Sam, just be quiet before they hear us," Dean looked at his brother, but didn't do more then that. Sam has had a few breakdowns already. This wouldn't be any different. Or so he thought.  
"I mean it, Dean. My life is not worth all those people's lives," Sam almost yelled now, frustration clear on his face., "How selfish isn't that?" while Sam spoke, Dean's eyes landed on a relativily small bottle. He quickly picked it up and tossed it to Bobby, who gave him a quick nod of understanding. Dean then turned back to deal with his brother, putting himself physically between Sam and the door. Meanwhile Bobby reached down into a bag that hung off his wheelchair and found a rag. It had been a hell of a job to get Bobby up all the stairs to the attic, but after plenty of breaks they had reached the top. Only, once on top Dean had to go down to get his wheelchair as well.  
"Sam, you are not going out there!" he barked, shoving his brother away from the door. Sam tried to rush past him and Dean had no choice but to try to physically wrestle him back. He hoped that Bobby was getting ready because he knew that he wasn't going to keep hold of Sam for long.  
"Don't you get it? Billions of people is going to die nonetheless. Maybe even more if you say yes," Dean insisted desperately, grabbing onto the collar of Sam's jacket and used his full body weight to keep Sam from pulling free.  
"I'm not an idiot, Dean! There has to be some way to kill Lucifer..." Sam started, but Dean cut him off, knowing exactly what Sam was going to say.  
"Oh and you want it done while you're his vessel? That's what he wants, Sam! We give in and it's the end of everything. You know that!" Dean put all his strength into pushing Sam against the wall, trying to hold him still and hopefully calm his brother down.  
"No, Dean! It doesn't have to be like that. You say 'No' and get the job done and kill Lucifer," Sam yelled. He managed to push his brother off him and wrestled out of his grip, heading towards the door.

Bobby quickly tossed Dean the rag soaked with the contents of the bottle from his bag and rushed up behind his brother, wrapped his arm around Sam's throat and holding the rag over his nose and mouth.  
"I'm sorry, Sam, but I can't let you do this," he said gently, tightening his grip as Sam struggled against him. The chloroform began to take effect quickly and Dean was able to begin pulling him back, using the full weight of his smaller body against Sam.  
"Bobby!" Dean yelled and Bobby hurried over to help just as Sam lost his balance and fell backwards onto Dean. Sam clawed at Dean's arms, but his movements were growing sluggish and eyes rolled back in his head. Dean lay back on the floor, holding Sam tightly against himself, not easing the hold on the cloth over his brother's face. His little brother's body finally gave in to the chloroform and in a matter of seconds Sam was unconscious.  
"He's gonna kill you when he wakes up," Bobby muttered as he wheeled his chair closer to Dean, who had not released his brother. Dean moved his hand away from Sam's face and dropped the cloth on the floor next to them.  
"Yeah well, at least he can't say yes when he's unconscious," Dean muttered and rested his chin on Sam's shoulder, feeling the strong beat of his brother's heart against him. He checked the pulse point at Sam's throat to make sure that he hadn't really hurt his brother. It was a little fast, but not dangerously so.  
"So, how long is he going to be out?" Dean wondered, pulling himself out from under Sam and began to drag him over to the corner where he had a bedroll spread out.  
"Honestly? I don't know. Half an hour, maybe." He followed behind Dean, his gaze flickering back and forth between the two brothers. "I'm betting that he'll try to be out that door as soon as he wakes up. We're going to be in for a long night."

_*_*_*_

The minutes passed slowly while Sam slept. Bobby held guard by one of the windows and Dean sat beside Sam with his little brother's head on his lap, running two fingers unconsciously across Sam's forehead while staring out at nothing as he waited for Sam to wake. He felt his brother begin to move as the chloroform's effects waned.  
"I can't believe you knocked me out," Sam's voice was low and there was no mistaking the tinge of hurt in it. Dean looked down, but didn't stop running his fingers across his brother's forehead. It seemed to have a relaxing effect on Sam.  
"Yeah, well… I'll do it again if you try leaving again," Dean warned.  
"Dude, knocking me out is a chicken's way out..." Sam continued, apparently more annoyed than actually angry.  
"And a really heavy one," Dean chuckled, trying to keep his tone light and teasing. Sam merely sighed and closed his eyes again.  
"Dean, what exactly is our plan? We can't stay here forever. They'll find us anyway. I doubt 'holy ground' has any effect on Lucifer," Sam said without opening his eyes. It almost felt safe lying there in Dean's lap, feeling his brother's fingers stroking his forehead. When he closed his eyes he could pretend that they were back in the days when their biggest problem was a pissed off spirit and a mild concussion twice a year. Before he had gone and screwed up everything between himself and his big brother. Before he had screwed up the world. And now when Dean was finally opening up for the forgiveness Sam was begging for - Lucifer and Michael was running out of patience to use their bodies to continue a war that had nothing to do with Sam and Dean. And they seemed helpless to stop it.  
"I don't know, Sam. I have no freakin' idea what to do. Castiel's gone. Anna's gone. Everyone that could possibly help us is dead." Dean bit his bottom lip, trying to keep a rein on the anger he felt bubbling up in him. "And we have no bloody idea where the hell Chuck is. Zachariah's still out there somewhere. Gabriel… I don't know… If there was anyone who could have helped , it would be hi…" Dean stopped when he felt Sam's hand move to gently squeeze his leg.  
"So in other words, we're screwed, but at least we're together right?" Sam snorted without humor, but at least that's what they had wanted all along. Staying together. No angels or demons coming between them.  
Dean nodded, smoothing back Sam's hair. "Yeah, Sammy. We're in this together. Whatever happens, I've got your back. And I know that you've got mine."  
Sam's eyes opened and he looked up at his brother with hopeful eyes, "Really? You mean that?"  
A few weeks ago Dean might have questioned his own words. So much had happened between them. So many hurtful words and even more hurt feelings that Dean hadn't known if they would ever be able to fix what had happened. But at that moment, with all hell breaking loose around them and the end of the world on their doorstep, none of it seemed to matter. It was just the two of them together again as they always had been. He felt he could fully thrust Sam again. He believed his little brother had learned from his mistakes and he was still looking for his redemption. Dean realized at that moment the first redemption Sam needed was for what he had done to Dean. That he had to get things fixed between them before he would be able to continue to seek is redemption for releasing Lucifer.  
"Of course," Dean let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and rests his hand on Sam's chest.  
"About time," Bobby huffed, but a rare smile crept across his lips.

* * *

Dean causing the limp!Sam here. Uuuh ;D hehe


	4. Dead

Yet another letter/Chapter up! This time "D"  
Had a busy week so couldn't post earlier, but here it is =)

_Beta reader: **Ravanne**_

* * *

**D – Dead**

_Set after "Wishful Thinking"_

He hadn't told Dean what had happened while they were separated and Sam had gone off with Wes. How could he when he wasn't sure himself what had happened? Wes told him when they said their final goodbyes, but it didn't make a lot of sense. Sam had tried to cheer him up by explaining that someday Wes would find the right woman and it would be true love, thankful that Dean wasn't there because he would just go on and on how girly Sam is. Wes seemed upset about something a lot greater then just loosing his girlfriend.

"She killed you," Wes confessed, earning a perplexed look from Sam.

"Hope. She wished you dead. I'm sorry," he explained quickly, his face full of guilt and remorsefulness.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault," Sam insisted before Wes had the chance to close his door again. "It wasn't your fault she wished me dead. Besides I'm alive again thanks to you,"

Wes gave him a tiny smile and a nod before entering his house and closed the door behind him.

Sam sighed. His body hurt like hell and his shoes were history. Dean hadn't even bothered asking what was wrong with them when they got back to the motel, just giving Sam a raised eyebrow before snickering.

"What you say we blow this joint, huh?" Dean asked, eager to get back on the road. Within fifteen minutes, their bag were in the trunk and the Impala was on the road, speeding past the town limits. Sam fell into a restless sleep in the passenger seat, small moans escaping his lips when he moved in his sleep, jarring his aching body. He felt awful, his lumbs burning with pain from the last movement. Clearly the lightening had left it's mark.

"Sam!" Dean's raised voice and a tight grip on his shoulder jarring Sam out of his restless sleep. Sam wanted to complain at being jostled, but could only whimper in pain.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, sounding very worried. The Impala was still cruising down the empty road, but began to slow as Dean turned his attention to his brother.

"No!" Sam complained, more than a little bit of a whine coming into his tone. He sounded like a ten year old again to his own ears.

"Sammy, what's wrong?" Dean asked, growing increasingly concerned. Sam didn't normally complain unless it was really, really bad.

"Hope zapped me," Sam confessed, rubbing his neck.

"What do you mean, she zapped you?" Dean pulled the car over to the side of the road and stopped. "Like... how?"

The expression on his big brother's face would've been comical to Sam if it hadn't been for the fact that every single muscle in his body felt as if they'd been stretched to their limits, then snapped back like rubber bands.

"She wanted me dead so she wished a lightening out of a clear, blue sky," Sam bit his lip again as he tried to sit up more, only to collapse back against the seat before slumping over, his forehead coming to rest against Dean's thigh.

"Sorry," he mumbled embarrassed. He felt awful. Every inch of him hurt. Even his hair hurt. Slumped over as he was wasn't the most comfortable position, but resting against Dean somehow made him feel better.

"She what?!" Dean shouted, spooking Sam a bit. "What the hell do you mean, she zapped you?" When Sam groaned at being jarred, Dean took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Wes brought me back… Well, everyone obviously. Everything's back to normal" Sam sighed when he felt one of Dean's hands on the back of his head and the other on his back, checking for injuries. It didn't hurt as long as his brother was careful.

"She killed you?" Dean's voice became surprisingly soft and Sam knew right away that he had switched into big brother mode within seconds.

"I'm fine. I promise. It just hurts a little," Sam mumbled as he readjusted his position, but found out that everything hurt less when he laid down. Besides, he had missed his big brother and it made his hardening heart warm a bit.

"You're not fine if it hurts, moron," Dean pointed out. Sam stayed quiet while Dean ran a hand through his hair as if to check for wounds, before running his hand down his brother's back. Sam groaned when Dean pressed down too hard and his touch immediately gentled.

They were quiet for so long that Sam wondered if Dean had managed to reposition him without him noticing. Before he knew it, the car had started up again. Dean let him stay down? He would have expected his big brother to complain about personal space and help him sit up, but instead he felt a hand settle over his shoulder blades.

"Next time, tell me when you die and come back to life, okay?" Dean's voice penetrated the on-coming sleep Sam was falling into. He hear Dean huff a laugh,

"What?" Sam tried to raise his head a bit, but his neck protested painfully so he stayed where he was.

"I can't believe I just said that," Dean said, swallowing hard. Sam turned his head as much as he was able, and looked up at his brother. Dean didn't seem to notice his brother's attentions because the emotions that he normally hid were now plainly evident on his face. Sam couldn't remember seeing Dean this upset since...

Since the last time he died.

"I didn't want to tell you because you don't need more shit piled onto you. Besides I wasn't gone for more then a minute," Sam tried to reassure his brother, but he knew it wasn't working too well.

"Sam, I want you to be honest with me. You dying is never not a big deal," Dean said firmly. Sam thought that his brother would say something more, berate him for being an idiot and getting himself into trouble, but Dea fell silent, making it clear he didn't want to talk anymore. Dean kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on Sam's back.

Sam relaxed when Dean didn't move his hand. It felt so good to feel close to Dean again. God, how he wish he could tell his brother everything, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He wasn't proud of what he had done. He would tell Dean one day, just not yet. When everything was finished. When Lilith was dead and Dean was safe, he promised that Dean would know everything.

Right now he just wanted to rest here; although his body was bent awkwardly it felt good because he was there with Dean. He still sometimes could not believe that Dean was back. It was all Sam had wanted since Dean had gone to Hell. To get him back. For them to be brothers again. Instead Castiel, Dean's new best friend does it and everything seemed to fall apart between them. He shook his head a bit, blinking away tears before pressing his face into Dean's leg, taking what comfort he could. He would enjoy this moment he had with Dean, storing away a memory that he could only think as a good one despite the pain.

"Sorry," Sam finally muttered, eyes closed.

"Just go to sleep, Sam," Dean sighed.

"And we never talk about this again," he added a moment later with a soft snort and ruffled Sam's hair. "We get enough chick flick moments."

* * *

Let me know if you're interessted in more! =) Still a lot of letters left XD


	5. Entombed

I'm sorry for being so late with this chapter, but something happened to my laptop and I thought I had lost everything. Luckily it's back in function and I hadn't lost anything. So here's a new chapter, spellchecked and ready!

Beta checked by _Ravanne!_

* * *

**E - Entombed**

_Sam is 19, Dean is 23_

Dean was sitting behind the wheel of his beloved Impala, waiting for his little brother to come join him. It hadn't been easy the last year and a half that Sam had been at school, and they rarely saw one another. Last year Sam had spent Christmas with his new girlfriend Jessica's family, something that had deeply offended Dean. He never told Sam this though, and believed that he could just forgive and forget now that Sam had said he'd spend this holiday with his family. Well, spend it with Dean at least. John would be out on a hunt with Uncle Bobby, but he promised he would try to be back by Christmas Eve. Sadly both Winchester boys had learned the hard way that their father had a tendency to make a lot of empty promises.

A knock on the roof of the car that made Dean jump a little and he quickly turned in his seat to look where the sound came from. Sam of course.

"Hey Dean!" Sam smiled brightly and slid into the passengers seat. Dean grinned fondly and clapped his little brother on the shoulder,

"I'm happy you wanted to spend Christmas with me this year." Dean said it so it could've been misunderstood as sarcasm by a bystander - he wouldn't make a chick flick moment out of their reunion, but he really meant it. Dean had always loved Christmas even though John was rarely there. It was usually just him and Sam. That's why he needed Sam and wanted Sam to be there. Sam on the other hand wasn't too fond of Christmas. He clearly loved being with his big brother and all, but Christmas had never really been special in the Winchester family.

Looking back, they maybe had only two-three really special Christmases that stood out in memory.

"So, what's the plan?" Sam asked as Dean started the Impala and and pulled out onto the road

"The plan is to go to Uncle Bobby's shack. You remember that place, right? The one in the forest. And we are going to have the best Christmas ever," Dean declared with a wide grin.

"Without dad I assume?" Sam asked, not bothering to hide his disappointment.

"Hopefully not. But hey, you've got me. That's ten times better," Dean patted Sam's skinny knee before focusing on the road.

*_*_*

"There's something here, isn't there?" Sam glared at his brother as the Impala stopped in front of the cozy looking cabin in the middle of nowhere.

"What are you talking about?" Dean snorted and frowned before climbing out of the car. He grabbed the bags from the fast food place they'd stopped off and went to open the trunk.

"Dean! Why else would we be here?" Sam followed his brother out of the car."What is it? You took me here on a hunt? Is that it?" he demanded, crossing his arms.

"Fine! Yes! Dad told me there's a ghost or two somewhere near," Dean admitted He handed Sam his bag, then grabbed his own duffle and slung it over his shoulder. "But that's not the only reason we're here. A ghost is an easy job, Sammy. Once that's done we'll have a great Christmas here!" he promised, hoping to convince Sam. The glare on his younger brother's face was not encouraging.

"Fine," Sam relented, heading towards the door. "Can we eat first? I'm starving."

"That's my boy," Dean puts his arm proudly around his brother's shoulder as he unlocked the door.

"Can't hunt on empty stomach," he snickered and patted Sam on the tummy. "So, they don't feed you at college?"

"What's that's supposed to mean?" Sam lifted an eyebrow and sat down at what passed for the dinign room table.

"Well you look like an emaciated puppy," Dean joked and laughed when a french fries came flying in his direction.

"I'm not skinny. Just..." Sam seemed to struggle to find the right word.

"Stretched?" Dean smiled happily at the glare Sam sent him. Sam's late growth spur seemed to have gone into overdrive.

"You're such a hoot today," Sam sighed and forked his food unenthusiastically.

The dinner was far from impressive, but as long as it tasted good it didn't really matter for the Winchester brothers. They had learned as children not to be too fussy about what they ate when options were limited.

"So, what's the story with this ghost?" Sam asked, swallowing a bite of his burger. "Or do I have to do the research too?"

"It would be the perfect Christmas gift for you, but no. I've already done it," he proclaimed proudly, grinning at Sam's impressed expression.

"Back in the 70s there was a couple of huts up here where people spent their summer holidays. One of them was the Jamerson family. Mother Sarah, the dad Lloyd and their fifteen year old daughter, Cynthia. One evening Cynthia went missing and four men, including Lloyd Jamerson went out to search for her. Instead three of the men came back with the news that both father and daughter were dead," Dean explained casually.

"What had happened to them?" Sam asked, biting his bottom lip as he considered the story.

"Bear attack. The bodies were so mangled they had would never have guessed it was them if it wasn't for the three other men witnessing the attack," Dean continued, noticing that Sam seemed honestly curious despite his earlier reluctance. "They were buried somewhere in the forest so I guess all we need to do is to find the graves and burn the bones."

*_*_*

The sun was already setting by the time they were ready for the hunt.

"Dean, I'm 19 years old. I know what to bring with me," Sam glared down at Dean, taking advantage of the new height he'd gained in the past few years. His big brother might be older then him, but certainly not taller.

"I just want to make sure you've got everything, Sammy. It's been a while since you hunted," Dean answered and handed Sam a shotgun with loaded with rock salt. He'd already packed a sack of salt and some fuel in Sam's backpack. "Besides, I'm not taking chances. You're pretty accident prone."

Sam glared at his brother, but didn't press the issue. Dean picked up his own pack and led the way into the forest. Sam walked quietly at his side, shotgun at the ready.

"Who buries their loved ones in the middle of nowhere anyway?" Sam asked as they reach a lake.

"Weirdoes. Apparently the family was a little eccentric. They had a lot of friends and all, but their cabin up here was their second home so the mother wanted to put her husband and child to rest here," Dean looked at Sam and frowned when Sam laughed. "What?"

"I'm impressed, Dean. You've read all that on your own?" He choked on his laughter as Dean nudged him in the side.

"Shut up, bitch."

"What are you calling me a bitch for?" Sam pushed Dean back, but smirked and actually looked quite happy despite trying to hide it.

"It's our new thing," Dean explained, suddenly all serious. "I call you bitch, you call me awesome big brother."

Sam snorted out loud. "Could you be more of a jerk?" he sighed loudly. They continued walking along the lake, bickering like an old married couple.

"Did you hear that?" Dean stopped suddenly, holding up his hand to signal Sam to keep quiet. They stood deathly still when they heard rustling on their right side. Slowly both turned their heads to the left and spotted what looked like a mausoleum in between the snow covered trees.

"Okay, that's just weird," Sam scratched the back of his neck as the boys moved quietly towards the crypt, their guns held ready to fire..

"Tell me about it," Dean muttered. When they got closer they noticed how the mausoleum appeared to have been carved into the stone of the hill behind it. The door into the grave was broken.

"I guess that might have something to do with restless spirits," Dean gestured with his head at the door. They got out their flashlights and aimed the light into the dark of the grave as they cautiously stepped inside. It was larger then expected and Sam could just stand straight inside without bending.

"You see anything…" Sam was cut of when something rumbled behind them. Before they knew what was happening, the opening was closed by falling stones.

"Sam!" Dean shouted as he saw his brother's flashlight hit the ground. Then he felt something hard hit the back of his head and everything went dark.

*_*_*

"Sonova-" Dean groaned and put a hand to his head. He winced when it touched something wet.

"Peachy," he grumbled, rolling over so he lay on his side. He grabbed for his flashlight that was still shining up at nothing.

"Sam?" Dean grunted as he sat up, directing the flashlight around himself and stopped when the light landed on a red shirt. Sam's shirt.

"Damn it." The older Winchester pressed his eyes closed when dizziness at the sudden movement hit him, but he kept crawling towards Sam. His hand landed on the soft fabric of Sam's jacket and shook him gently without any reaction coming from his brother. Dean rested his flashlight on a nearby pile of rubble so he could see his surroundings and focus on Sam.

"Sammy?" The kid wasn't moving and dark liquid covered the side of his face and hair. It looked black in the near total darkness, but Dean knew all too well that the liquid would be red. Dean quickly checked for Sam's pulse and sighed in relief when he felt steady beatings and rested his forehead against Sam's.

"Damn it. I dunno how you do it, but you always seem to be the one who…" His voice trailed off when he finally noticed that Sam's chest wasn't rising.

"Sam!" Dean pressed his ear to his brother's chest. He feels the heartbeat, but his brother didn't seem to be breathing.

"No, no, no. You have a pulse damn it!" Dean grabbed the side of Sam's face and leaned down, hovering his cheek over his brother's mouth and nose. Nothing. Not even a tiny hint of breath. Dean forced himself to relax before carefully tilting his little brother's head back, mindful of the hard ground and pinched Sam's nose shut before pressing his mouth over his brother's and forcing air into his lungs. Dean barely noticed his hand getting wet from where it was resting on the top of Sam's head. His focus was on getting Sam breathing again.

"Come on, man! This is just way past personal space." Dean forced the awkwardness of the closeness away and forced more air into Sam's mouth. Out of the corner of his eye Dean could see Sam's chest rise from the assisted breathing. He forced the childishness of his thoughts on the intimacy out of his mind and focused on what he had to do. He lost count over how many times he breathed for Sam, but somewhere along the way he realized Sam was breathing on his own again.

"Thank God." Dean ripped up a bit of his shirt to bundle it against the wound on his unconscious little brother's head.

"Wakey, wakey," he encouraged and gently tapped Sam's face. Sam's eyes were tightly shut and he showed no signs in wakening. Dean suddenly got a feeling of being watched and spun around. It took him a second to realize he was knelt face to face with a young girl.

"Cynthia," he mumbled, realizing who she had to be. The girl started screaming and Dean fell backwards, throwing his arm over Sam protectively, but he kept his eye fixed on the screaming ghost. .

"I forgot about them," he mumbled to himself and started rummaging through Sam's pack. He found one of the containers of salt and popped it open.

"Get lost!" he yelled and flung it at the girl. The ghost vanished with an angry yell and Dean hurriedly picked up the flashlight. Sure enough he could see the remains of two tombs and knew what to do.

"Guess its up to me to burn these suckers," Dean muttered and stood up. "Feel free to wake up while waiting," he added.

_*_*_*_

Besides the obvious bad turn of events with the whole place caving in on them, finding the tombs was quite easy. Seemed that the ghost of Cynthia wasn't evil, just annoying. The girl had been spoiled rotten while alive and whenever Dean wasn't paying attention she would start screaming. The father was standing close by, trying to calm his daughter down without success and it was quite a pathetic sight. Though he wasn't going to underestimate the ghosts. It was thanks to them the cave had collapsed and Sam was unconscious. Or had been.

"Sam!" Dean had been ready to set Cynthia's bones on fire when he heard a groan from where his brother was laying.

"Be careful." Dean knelt behind Sam and helped him into a sitting position. "There you go," he said, voice full of concern as he carefully rubbed Sam's slim arm, helping him regain his mental equilibrium.

"What happened?" Sam mumbled and hung his head while running a hand carefully through his blood soaked hair.

"The ghost of the girl made the mausoleum collapse. Knocked you right out," Dean explained."Ready to burn these suckers?" he asked, putting one hand at the back of Sam's neck.

"What-what about the ghosts? Aren't they…" Sam stopped talking when Dean shook his head.

"They're harmless. Annoying, but in dire need of peace."

It only took a moment for Dean to torch the annoying ghosts while Sam attempted to start removing blocks from the crypt entrance. It was going slow on Sam's part as he fought the dizziness from his head injury, but Dean joined him as soon as the flames in the graves lit the crypt.

"Good boy," Dean praised when Sam removed a stone that brought early morning light and fresh air into the mausoleum. From there on it was a quick job moving enough stones so they could climb out.

"Merry friggin' Christmas, Dean," Sam moaned as he lay down in the little snow that had found its way down between the tree tops. He covered his eyes with his arm let his mouth fall open, inviting fresh air into his lungs.

"There's no Christmas like a Winchester's Christmas," Dean snickered and sat down beside Sam and started fussing over injuries. Now in the light, he could check how badly Sam had been hurt. Sam was fortunate that he only cracked his head open, but aside from the bleeding, he seemed to have escaped serious injury.

"You've lost a bit of blood, Sammy," he said and moved Sam's arm away from his eyes. Sam's eyes remained closed, but the ghost of a smile found its way onto the lips.

"Well red is the color of Christmas, Dean," Sam opened one eye and lay still content to let Dean fuss over him. "You're bleeding too," he noted, pointing at Dean's chin.

"It's just a scratch," Dean assured his brother and lay down beside Sam.

"What are you doing?" Sam turned his head a bit to look at Dean.

"Resting. It isn't that cold," Dean said, looking up at the treetops. It felt good to lie there. The weather was comfortable and finally the older brother felt the feeling that he had always associated with Christmas come over him.

"We should probably get going," Sam warned, ruining the moment.

Dean sighed and nodded, helping his brother get to his feet. They both needed to get checked out medically and Dean was looking forward to spending time with his brother now that the hunt was over. It was Christmas; they were both alive and together. He couldn't ask for more then that.

* * *

That's it for now! A little longer then the other chapters right? Next one is going to be goooory! ;D

So! Whaddya think? =)


	6. Flayed

And then it was time for yet another chapter! I had a hard time with this one. Reason for that at the bottom so I don't spoil everything before you even start reading.

To EVERYONE who's reading and particularly you who take time to tell me what you think - THANK YOU! I appreciate your comments a lot! =)

_Thanks to beta reader **Ravanne!**_

**

* * *

**

**F - Flayed**

_Set: Just my version of how things might go down in Detroit. Has nothing to do with chapter "C"._

"Come on now, Sam. I do not wish to hurt you." Lucifer's voice was sympathetic as usual and it creeped Sam out. There wasn't much left of the man Lucifer was possessing. Half the skull was visible by now and the youngest Winchester had a hard time looking at him. The sight was nauseating and the fact that Lucifer was still so damned calm didn't make it less disturbing.

"But you're leaving me no choice if you keep saying no." Lucifer stepped closer, but Sam turned his head away. His body was locked in place, kneeling on the ground in the forest outside of Detroit. He felt a bony hand run carefully down the side over his face, through the blood running down from his temple from where Lucifer had struck him, rendering him unconscious and allowing the fallen angel to sperate him from Dean.

"Where's Dean?" Sam turned his head as far away from Lucifer's caress as he could.

"With Michael of course. Where else would my brother's vessel be?" Lucifer answered soothingly, as if Dean's absence was of no concern. "It's time Sam, so why don't you just spare everyone the unnecessary wait and get done with it?" Lucifer stood up and stepped away. Sam just shook his head.

* * *

"Come on, Dean. I'm a man of my word." Michael smiled cooly as he strolled in a circle around Dean, watching his vessel closely.

"Yeah? Because the angels are such a trustworthy bunch?" Dean crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Michael, but stood still as the angel vanished behind his left side, only to appear on the right side.

"Yet you trust Castiel," Michael pointed out, the smirk never failing. "Last time I checked Castiel was still an angel. Not much of one, but still."

"Cas is the only angel I thrust," Dean insisted.

"Cas? Cute," Michael snorted at the nickname, shook his head and continued walking in circle. Dean grit his teeth, wanting nothing more than to run as far and as fast from Michael as he could, but he was frozen in place.

"So you trust 'Cas', yet he had allowed Sam to leave that panic room. Is that correct?" The angel looked away for a second to cover his smile as he waited for the response..

"What are you talking about?" Dean demanded. Deep inside he felt his calm beginning to shred, but he kept his game face on. There was no way he could like this winged dick shake him like this.

"Oh , he never told you? It was he who let your dear baby brother out of the panic room when you were trying to purge the demon blood from his body," Michael revealed.

Dean felt his stomach lurch at Michael's revelation. He didn't want to believe the archangel, but it made too much sense. How else could Sam have escaped from a demon-proof room when he was restrained and the door had been locked from the outside? Ruby would not have been able to go near the place and Sam could not have gotten out on his own.

"He would only have done it if you guys ordered him to," Dean insisted, fighting to hide the deep stab of betrayal he felt.

"Sure enough, but by then even he would know there was something he hadn't been told. Letting your bloodsucking brother out didn't sit right with him, but he did it nonetheless. Obedient little puppy," Michael explained, satisfied with the look on Dean's face. Another of what few allies Dean had left now rendered suspect. Another betrayal to bear.

"Anyway I'm not here to break up your bonding with your pet angel."

"Believe me, you haven't exactly been shy about what you dicks want," Dean spat in his face. The news of Castiel's betrayal hurt him in a way he hadn't been prepeared for, but he knew that the only reason that Michael told him was to try to manipulate him into giving in. There was no way in hell he was going to let that happen.

"The answer is still no! I will not let you use me in a fight you have with your brother. I wont let you use me to hurt my brother," Dean snarled, standing his ground.

* * *

"Now Sam." Lucifer was no longer speaking in that calm, coaxing voice and for the first time he seemed genuinely angry. Sam had been flung to the ground and pinned on his back, hands clutching his chest in pain.

"No," he forced out, refusing to give in. He watched helplessly as Lucifer knelt down beside him and drew out a long blade, pressing the sharp edge against Sam's throat.

"You will say yes or I will kill you, Sam," Lucifer sneered, tracing the sharp tip down the side of Sam's neck, leaving a track of blood behind. "I promised not to hurt you. Don't make me break my promise."

Sam stared at Lucifer now, panic evident in his eyes. "You can't do that. You need me or else you can't walk the earth," Sam reminded him, realizing that he was trying to reason with a being past sanity.

"I most certainly can. I don't need a 'yes' to possess a dead body," the devil smirked, enjoying the fear in his vessel's eyes. Sam winced, feeling the the blade trace its way down to his chest.

"Then why didn't you just kill me the first time you found me?" Sam tried to sound brave. Tried not to sound as terrified as he felt.

"Because you let me out, Sam. I owed you a chance to give in on your own. I need your soul to keep your body alive." Lucifer's cocky smile was back now.

"You are special, Sam. More special than you ever could imagine. I need a strong soul and a strong vessel to be able to keep me unlike the regular demons. Without your soul your body can't keep me for as long as I wish. Longer then Nick here, but it's not ideal," he explained.

"But I will do it if I need to. I just need to finish Michael and save this beautiful planet from you humans. Your body need last only long enough for that."

Sam just pressed his eyes closed and shook his head. Without warning pain flared up his chest and he screamed. His eyes flew open in shock to see the hilt of the blade planted in his chest. Right through his heart and into the ground beneath him. He screamed from the unbearable pain and tears ran unstopped down the side of his face.

"You've got a knife through your heart, Sammy," Lucifer teased. He was holding onto the handle of the knife, not moving it.

"I will give you one last chance to give me what I want or you'll be suffering a lot more before I let you die." The devil was no longer smiling. He actually looked sympathetic despite the torture he was inflicting. Sam gasped desperately for air, but the pain in his chest made it impossible.

Yet Lucifer wouldn't let him die.

"No!" Sam cried, sobbing now. His hands tried to find the handle of the knife as they clawed they way up his bloody chest, but Lucifer easily swatted his hands away.

"It didn't need to come to this," Lucifer insisted, gently. "You have only your stubbornness to blame."

Without warning, he ripped the knife out only to stab Sam in the abdomen. Dragging the knife across Sam's stomach, neatly disemboweling him. Sam wasn't screaming any longer, but gasping helplessly.

"Please," he whispered, blood splattering on his lips. His eyes were wide open, but he couldn't see anything. He tried to think of Dean to stay strong and keep Lucifer from getting him, but he was overwhelmed by the pain. He wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer.

"No," he sobbed.

* * *

"I promise Dean. I am not like my brother," Micheal insisted. "I will stand by my word. You will be as good as new when I'm done with you," Michael was standing right in front of the oldest Winchester, hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him.

"What about Sam?" Dean's upper lip was twisting in anger. Any fear he felt was now replaced by sheer rage at how he had been so completely manipulated at every turn, and his helplessness to change the outcome.

Michael didn't answer, simply nodded once.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Dean mumbled. He was ashamed of himself to be giving in, but he was clean out of options. Better him then Sam.

"Let me in," Michael said quietly, staring into Dean's eyes. Dean closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Yes."

* * *

"It's time brother," Michael craned Dean's neck to both sides while walking through the dark trees. Dean's body felt comfortable and right, the strong form moving easily through the darkness.

"I know you're here brother." The arch angel flexed his fingers and stopped when he came to the outskirts of the forest. In front of him was a downhill leading to a small town, not far from the outskirts of Detroit.

"Finally." Lucifer stepped out of the forest to face him. Michael turned around, looking his brother up and down with a satisfied smile.

"It took them long enough to say yes," Michael sighed and pulled out a long, slim sword before he stopping several paces before his brother. Something was not right. Lucifer wore Sam Winchester's body, but something was clearly wrong.

"Your vessel," Micheal said and his eyes caught the sight of a red line tracking across Sam Winchester's throat. He could smell the blood, deep and coppery coming from the other figure.

"He didn't consent!" Michael's voice rose at the realization and gripped the sword with both hands.

"What are you talking about?" Lucifer frowned and tilted his head, taking full use of his vessel's ability to look innocent. He opened the dark green jacket Sam had been wearing to show to a spotless shirt.

"You've been sloppy, Lucifer," Michael sneered and pointed his sword at Lucifer's throat. "He didn't give in so you killed him. You didn't even clean up completely after yourself" His voice was low in anger at seeing a vessel so badly desecrated.

"I will not fight you this way," Michael insisted. The look on Lucifer's face turned from cocky to outraged in mere seconds.

"I am shocked," he growled sarcastically. "Covering your cowardice with false honor." Lucifer stepped closer, ignoring the long blade at his throat,

"You fight me now or I swear you will pay for it greatly. In fact, the whole planet will!" Lucifer snarled. They were standing almost nose to nose now. Lucifer, the Morning Star and Michael, the Viceroy of Heaven.

"Wasn't that your plan to begin with?" Michael threw back in Lucifer's face before lowering his sword and turning away.

"We will extend the deadline then thanks to your little deception," he said and stretched Dean's neck. He could feel Dean's soul very present and turned back to look at his brother.

"As you wish, brother. I will respect your cowardliness and do this later," Lucifer said just as Dean's eyes and mouth started shining brightly as Michael left. As soon as the archangel left his vessel the light vanished into the forest, leaving Dean dizzy and confused.

"Wha...?" Dean rubbed a hand to his temple and groaned. He lifted his head and saw Lucifer looking down at him, staring at him through Sam's eyes.

"Our meeting has been postponed. My brother was not up for the challenge." Lucifer ran a hand a hand down Sam's chest and slowly the shirt started to get soaked in blood again.

"Don't worry. I will be back for your brother when the time is up, but I will not let him go unpunished for defying my wishes. He will regret his disobedience," Lucifer warned.

Dean was shivering violently and his stomach clenched at the sight of all the blood coming from various stab and slash wounds on his brother's body.

"Sam..." Dean whispered as bright light erupted from Sam's eyes and mouth as Lucifer abandoned his vessel. Sam's body dropped heavily to the forest floor where he lay unmoving. Dean could not bring himself to move for what seemed like forever, just staring at Sam's still form before he could force himself to crawl to his brother's side.

"No, no, no, Sammy..." Dean didn't need to even think to check for pulse. His little brother was dead. His chest and arms had been sliced and there were a few stab wounds as well. Dean turned his head away and threw up in a bush, tears and sobs shaking his tired body.

"You promised me!" Dean shouted into the forest where the light of Michael had vanished. Dean turned back and lifted Sam's bloody corpse into his arms, but it only caused him to cry harder. The cold body, the amount of blood covering his little brother and the feeling of complete emptiness and hopelessness overwhelming him. He couldn't look at his brother so Dean pulled Sam to him and pressed his eyes closed.

"Michael!" he screamed again, not opening his eyes. Suddenly bright light penetrated his eyelids and Dean waited till it at diminished before daring to his eyes. He started a bit when Sam was staring up at him. Dean knew immediately that it wasn't Sam behind those eyes. Carefully Sam sat up, long legs curled in an awkward position, but it didn't seem to bother Michael.

"You're not my biggest fan, I know," Michael said and looked Dean in the eyes. "But I will only keep my word because it is not over."

Dean felt hope flutter in his chest. Michael had promised to fix Sam again if something went wrong, but something in what Michael said didn't add up.

"Not over? You lied to me? You wouldn't have saved Sam if you won?" Dean's voice was shaking, but behind the tears his eyes were fierce.

"I needed you to say 'yes' so I had to tell you that. The longer Lucifer stays in Sam's body the harder it will be to bring him back," Michael explained. Dean watched as wound after wound very slowly healed while Michael was using Sam as vessel.

"I am so confused," Dean whispered, head aching.

"Let's not have this fight now, Dean," Michael said, his usually cocky and self assured attitude was exchanged for a rare look of sympathy.

"I love my brother despite what you think..." Michael started.

"Oh yeah you two just shine with brotherly love," Dean muttered.

"I am healing your brother now because I can. Unlike Sam and Lucifer, you gave me what I needed tonight. That's why I give you your brother back for now."

With that, Sam's eyes and mouth shone again and the light vanished and Sam's body slumped back into Dean's arms. Dean quickly tightened his arms around his brother and carefully checked him over. As Sam's head tilted back Dean could still see scars on his throat vanishing under the shirt. They were still fading, looking weeks rather than hours older. Sam's chest began to rise and fall as he started breathing again. Whole the time while Sam was healing, Dean didn't stop running his hand through Sam's hair, touching his face gently and returning to stroking his hair. Dean cradled Sam against him, tears still running down his face, his body exhausted. He whispered comforting nonsense in the same manner that he had when Sam was a child while waiting. Once he ran his thumb along the fading scar on Sam's throat and the scar slowly vanished completely with the movement. Dean knew it wasn't his doing, but it still gave him this weird feeling of satisfaction. As if he was helping. He heard a flatter of wings behind him and turned to see a friendly face.

"Cas!" For the first time in too long a bright smile appear on Dean's face. Michael's words about Castiel's actions lingered in the back of his mind, but he would deal with that later. "You're a sight for sore eyes!"

Castiel actually smiled at that and stopped to stand before his human friend.

"He's awake," the angel said and Dean looked down at Sam. Sure enough, his little brother's eyes looked back at him.

"Sam!" He felt himself smiling like an idiot and pulled Sam into a tight hug. He felt his brother squirm a bit and groan, but he ignored it. Sam didn't say anything, but Dean could feel hands grasping at the back of his jacket now.

"Let's get out of here," Castiel suggested and puts a hand on Dean's shoulder. Both brothers nodded and clutched tighter to each other as Castiel brought them to safety.

* * *

So, a little more gory, but what ya think?

I had no idea how to write an apocalyptic fight so I decided to do a little twist. Dunno if it's working, but it's a choice I decided to take. I mean common, an apocalyptic war doesn't just end with a snap of your fingers (unless you're Gabriel/Trickster I suppose lol) so that could have been a shitlong fic on it's own.


	7. Ghost Sickness

Sorry for the wait, but here's next chapter! Again thank you for your comments! May them be positive or/and constructive critisim - I love ya and I'm glad you enjoy this! =)

_As always, thanks to my faithful beta reader, **Ravanne**_

* * *

**G - Ghost Sickness**

_Set in late season 5_

"Sammy, what's wrong?" Dean frowned at Sam. His little brother was sitting across of him in the relative empty diner, studying his fork.

"Imagine the damage this thing could do if someone fell on it," Sam mumbled, barely looking up at Dean.

"Uh..." Dean frowned even more, his brow furrowing in confusion at the morbid train of thought. "I suppose..?"

Sam swallowed before looking back at the fork, only to scream and throw it across the room as hard as he could.

"Sam! What the hell?" Dean yelled and jumped to his feet. He gave the cashier lady a quick reassuring smile before putting a hand on Sam's shoulder. He could feel Sam shivering beneath his touch.

"Those things are death traps. Let's get out of here," Sam whispered. He stood up hurriedly and was out the door before Dean could even open his mouth.

"Ooookay… I guess I'm taking this with me." Dean picked up his burger and a handful of napkins, hurrying after his idiot of a brother. Luckily Sam had only run to the car and was now standing a few feet away from the Impala, staring at it.

"Care to explain what the hell is going on with you?" Dean demanded.

Sam didn't answer immediately. Dean nudged his shoulder, trying to get a response. When Sam finally looked up, Dean could barely hide his irritation.

"Sorry. I just... I didn't wanna risk getting the fork in my eyes," Sam explained as if anything of what he was saying made sense.

"It's a fork, Sam. A fork. You eat with that thing..." Dean cut himself off when Sam suddenly gasped in horror.

"Imagine the damage it could do if you swallowed it." Sam covered his mouth with a hand as if to keep the fork in the diner from rushing out and plunging down his throat.

Dean just glared at him for a second before rolling his eyes. Sam had his moments of weirdness, but this really took the cake, and his patience was wearing thin.

"Just get in and shut up," He made his way to the other side of the car, unlocking the door. When he looked back at Sam, his brother had not moved an inch.

"Sam!" he yelled. Sam looked up at his big brother with the puppy dog gaze that Dean had always been helpless against.

"Can you open the door for me? I don't want to burn my hands on the hot black metal." Sam bit his bottom lip and scratched the back of his neck before pointing at the hot sun shining down at the car.

Dean groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long day.

_____

"Since when did you get afraid of forks and horses?" Dean wondered aloud as he drove back towards their motel. Sam sat tensely next to him, looking as if he were ready to jump out of his skin at any moment. They had been driving for a while when at red light a pair of mounted police officers passed the Impala. The sight of the horses had caused Sam to start swearing and curling in on himself, trying to making himself as small as possible.

"Those are some big freaking horses!" Sam used his thumb to point over his shoulder, but refused to look back at the animals.

This was too strange, even by Sam's strange standards. "Sam, are you on drugs?" Dean asked, dead serious and Sam's mouth dropped open.

"Of course not! Stupid." He mumbled the last comment, but didn't look up from where he was scratching his arm. Dean frowned at that and leaned over to grab his arm.

"Hey! Watch where you're driving!" Sam squeaked in terror, although Dean wasn't driving very fast and the road by the motel was pretty much deserted.

"Son of a bitch…" A flash of recognition hit Dean at the sight of the scratches on his brother's arm. "Ghost sickness! That's it!"

Dean's revelation made Sam furrow his brow in confusion.

"I can't have that. I haven't touched any dead people," Sam insisted.

"Don't you remember what happened to me? You don't' have to touch the body. You just need to touch one of the Buru Buru's victims." He saw Sam continue to scratch, but Dean swatted his hand away.

"Who have you been touching lately? Did you hit anyone? Shake anyone's hand? Slept with anyone?" Dean added, trying to joke and lighten the mood even though he was growing increasingly worried. Sam punched him in the shoulder and shook his head.

"Well, I hand shook a librarian yesterday. I visited a library in town," Sam answered after a moment's thought.

"That's it? Wow… life of the party, aren't you?" Dean parked the car near their room and jumped out, Sam following hot on his heels. "So, just how do we kill a Buru Buru?" Dean asked as they entered their room.

"Scare it to death. We have to do research first, Dean. We can't just go in and scare people to death without being sure," Sam carefully removed his jacket as if he was afraid it would hurt him if he was too quick.

"Okay. Sam, I need you to think good and hard now. Is there anyone else you've come in contact with?" Dean sighed deeply, trying to keep a rein on his temper when he realized he would have to do the research this time. Sam was sitting cross-legged on one of the bed, biting his nails.

"I knocked into someone yesterday… dunno who. Bumped into the cashier at the motel here, that librarian, slapped you over the back of your head, but I don't think you're the Huba Buba..." Sam muttered.

"Buru Buru, Sam. And gee, thanks. That's a huge help," Dean said sarcastically. When he looked up from the laptop, Sam had pulled his long legs up to his chest and locked his arms around them. He was hiding his face in his arms.

"So, what was the Buru Buru? You remember more of it then me I assume since I was in your situation last time." Dean looked sympathetically at Sam. It had been weird getting those unnatural fears over the most random things, but the worse of it was how it would end. Dean remembered the absolute terror he'd endured and he could only imagine what Sam was going through. The best thing he could do to help his brother was to keep him focused on the hunt.

"Uh. Buru Buru infects people who has the same personality or has done something similar to the person that killed it. The only way of killing it..."

"Is to scare it to death. I got that part. But, this came out of nowhere! When did you start getting scared of things?" Dean asked curiously. Sam's quiet while he thinks.

"Uh... Oh!" Sam suddenly sat up straight.

"I remember something!" he said eagerly. "The itching and scratching," He held his arm out as if Dean hadn't already seen the self-inflicted wounds,

"The librarian was scratching his arm too. I didn't think much of it, just thought it was a bad itch. But... he wasn't dead," Sam tilted his head a bit and looked curiously at his brother.

"Well, do the victims need to be dead to infect someone else? Anyway it's our best clue so far," Dean stood up and motioned for Sam to follow him. "We gotta find him as quickly as possible. You know how this will end if we don't stop it."

_____

"Look at this, Dean," Sam was sitting in the backseat of the Impala, convinced that he would go crashing through the windshield if he sat in the front. He held up a piece of paper so Dean could see the photo of an old woman in the newspaper.

"Read it, smart ass. I'm driving," Dean groaned. Sam pouted a bit at the sour tone, but did as he's told.

__

"'Evelyn Dukes was found dead in her apartment yesterday evening by her only daughter. Evelyn had reached 87 years of age, but still young at heart. At least that's what they thought as the police suspect the old woman died of a heart attack. However, the beloved woman was found with vicious and deep scratching wounds on her arms. They can only assume she did it herself as one of her nails was found deep inside one of the wounds',"

Sam read and looked rather nauseous. 

"That sounds like ghost sickness," Dean confirmed quietly. Sam saw Dean look back at him in the rear-view mirror.

"At least you're good for something," he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Sam looked up at that.

"At least you're good for something. You've been quite useless and pathetic for a long while now," Dean no longer looked at him, but at where he's driving.

"Wh-why?" Sam didn't really mean to ask 'why' because he could figure out that himself, but it just tumbled off his lips.

"Why?" Dean laughed bitterly. "Well let me see. You lied to me repeatedly, you chose a demon over your own brother, you had hot sizzling sex with the demon that fed you blood. The same bitch that made you a monster," Dean's voice was rising now. "And you told me all the dirty details I did NOT want to know!" he added. The last sentence would have been rather comical if it hadn't been for the situation.

Rationally Sam knew this had to be something to do with the ghost sickness. Why would Dean suddenly lash out at him when just minutes ago he was so eager to find the Buru Buru before it killed Sam? Still, Dean's harsh words cut Sam to the quick. He couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his face. This was the one thing he feared most; his big brother hating him. Dean certainly had plenty of reason to, but Sam didn't think that he could live if this was the truth. He noticed the car stopping and carefully looked up. Dean was turned around in the front seat and glaring at him.

"You made me say sorry to that bitch..."

Sam pressed his eyes shut when his brother started rambling again. All he wanted to do was shut it out, to make the hateful words go away. He felt Dean take hold of both side of his head, forcing him to look up.

"Sam! Snap out of it!" his brother was yelling, but his eyes were no longer vicious looking. Sam closed his eyes again, not sure if this worried-looking Dean was real.

"Sam, please! It's not real whatever you're seeing! Please listen!" Dean insisted, he tried not to yell and further frighten his brother. His fingers gently wiped away the tears from Sam's cheeks.

"When I was infected I thought I saw you with yellow eyes, but it wasn't real Sam. Neither is this. Whatever you heard me say or do, it's not real," Dean repeated it over and over. His voice desperate, but steady.

"You have to calm down, Sam." He relaxed a bit when Sam finally opened his eyes. Dean rested one hand against Sam's pulse point and breathed in relief when the frantic beating started too slowly but surely calm. His knees and back ached from bending over the front seat so he could reach Sam, but he didn't care. His main focus was on keeping Sam from having a heart attack.

"Hey, Sammy. Remember when we were younger… You were nine or something," Dean lifted his little brother's head a bit to get eye contact. "Remember that night we decided to dress up and try to scare dad? I dressed you up as a princess and you acted like a stubborn little bitch so I had to dress up like a princess too." Dean couldn't help a wistful smile growing on his face as Sam grimaced at the memory,

"Then when dad came home and we jumped out in front of him all dressed up in pink and baby blue dresses and lipstick we stole from the receptionist at the motel. Of course, we didn't scare him at all." Dean relaxed his grip on Sam's head, but kept his one hand on the side of Sam's neck. He needed to keep Sam focused on him.

"Yeah, but he looked mighty worried how his little hunters could even joke about dressing up as princesses," Sam remembered, grasping hold of Dean's hand and using it as an anchor. They just looked at each other for a few seconds before Dean broke into a smile again,

"He sure made us practice extra hard those following months," Dean chuckled, relieved to see his brother start to relax. The worst of this spell seemed to be over.

"Thank you," Sam muttered quietly.

"You're welcome, Sammy. I can dress you up later on again if you like." Dean teased.

"Dean!"

"I know… sorry! I mean it though. Whatever you saw was not real. This is!" Dean playfully ruffled Sam's hair, earning an outraged squeal from his brother.

_____

"Mr. Kingston?" Sam was following right behind Dean, but was the first to call out to the librarian. "Are you here?"

The library was silent and appeared to be deserted.

"We need to talk to you," Sam said loudly. There was no answer.

The two parted for a little to cover more ground quickly. Sam was very apprehensive about going off on his own, rushing through the dimly lit library as quickly as he could manage, looking for the librarian.

"Mr. Kingston?" he called out and received no answer. He was about to call out again when he found who he was looking for. Just not in the wished for state. He opened his mouth to scream, but a hand closed over it before he could. He struggled until he realized it was Dean.

"We're too late," Dean stated.

"I can see that! That's going to be me!" Sam shouted, growing increasingly frantic.

"Hey! It sure will be if you don't calm the hell down!" Dean warned. They carefully checked the corpse over and it seemed to have all the signs of being the result of ghost sickness. The body had deep scratch wounds on his forearms.

Dean pulled Sam away from the body and hustled him out the door. There wasn't anything they could do except get out before they were noticed and put in a call to the police.

_____

"Sammy? I'm back. You still alive?" Dean came through the motel door in a hurry. He found Sam huddled between the two beds and the TV lying broken on the ground, all but completely hidden beneath the cover he'd pulled off one of the beds. He barely responded to Dean.

Dean offered Sam a cup of coffee. Sam peeked out shook his head.

"I might choke on it or burn my insides," he explained vehemently. Dean sighed before sitting down on one of the beds, facing Sam.

"I think I found out what might be the special personality trait to all the victims." Dean bit his bottom lip. Sam was not going to like what Dean had discovered.

"I found out who our Huba Buba is," Sam said from where he's hiding his face in the bed cover he had pulled down onto the floor.

"Buru Buru," Dean corrected. This just wasn't like Sam at all. His brother was normally a walking encyclopedia or occult knowledge and for him to mess of the name of a creature they were hunting was very out of character for him. "You're usually good at these names."

"I'm a bit busy clawing myself up," Sam shot back, tightening his hold on his blanket. "The Buru Buru…. its some woman back in the 90s who slept with her sister's boyfriend. Her sister got pissed off and killed her,"

"I suppose that kind of fits what I found out too," Dean said, wishing otherwise. "The old woman from the paper, Evelyn… she had an abortion when she was younger. Without telling her husband. The librarian was secretly in love. With a man," Dean explained. "They were apparently planning to get married until our librarian had a change of heart and refused to admit he was gay when confronted."

Sam finally looked at Dean, poking his head out of his nest.

"They all betrayed a loved one," Dean muttered quietly, hating how the words sounded to his own ears.

Sam was very quiet for several painfully long seconds as he absorbed what Dean told him. "Just like I did," he whispered the pain in his voice unbearably apparent.

"Sam..."

"Dean, you can't argue that. That's why I'm infected!" Sam grabbed hold of Dean's leg and clutched it as if he was a little kid and looked up at his brother, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry."

Dean blinked once and looked away, not able to meet the heartbreak in Sam's eyes.

"We've talked about this," Dean reminded him. "I know you're sorry. Why do you think I'm still around? I want to forgive you and work things out. We will," he reassured his little brother.

"Unless I'm dead," Sam added.

Dean couldn't bring himself to respond to that thought without screaming. He tried to return Sam's focus to the hunt. Sam's previous experience with a Buru Buru was badly needed, and remembering that he'd faced one of these ghosts and won might give Sam the strength to keep fighting.

"How on earth do we scare that kind of a Buru Buru to death? It wasn't like she was towed after a car till she died," Dean said, putting his elbow up on his knee so he could rest his head on his hand.

"Maybe we can just burn her bones. Luther was spread all over that road, but this girl was pretty much whole when she died," Sam suggested and Dean's face lit up. It couldn't be that easy.

"Did you find out where she was buried?" the youngest Winchester asked hopefully.

"Sam, I'm Dean Winchester. There's nothing I can't do, little brother," Dean stood up and held his hand out for Sam to take.

"Well…. you do have a hard time eating healthy," Sam snickered, but took the offered hand before Dean could change his mind and climbed to his feet.

"Let's finish this shit."

_____

"If the Buru Buru slept with her sister's boyfriend isn't she the one who betrayed a family member?" Sam thought out loud, holding the flashlight steady while Dean dug into the grave.

"You see, Sammy? We're not the only dysfunctional family in this world. They both betrayed each other then, but it was the one that murdered her sister that made her sister a Buru Buru," Dean's head hurt at the thought of one sibling being driven to kill the other. People had so many issues. Still, as strange as it sounded, it made Dean feel a little better. Although the problems between Sam and him were apocalyptic big, they still weren't alone in having hurt one another.

"Yahtzee!" Dean cheered when his shovel finally hit wood. It wouldn't be long now. He just had to crack open the coffin and a quick salt and burn later, their Buru Buru would be toast, literally. He raised the shovel to break into the casket when he heard a frantic "no" coming from Sam, his brother literally panting from fear. He looked up to see his brother trying to back away from a hidden enemy and Dean realized the only way he could help was to burn the bones and hope it was enough.

Sam shook his head frantically when the yellow eyed demon stepped out from behind some trees. "No. Azazel," Sam moaned. The demon was in the form of the hospital janitor he had been possessing when Dean had killed him.

"Howdy, Sam. I knew you were the right horse to bet on," the demon smiled cheerfully. "You actually let Lucifer out. I like you, Sammy, but I honestly hadn't thought your demon lover would be strong enough or have the brains enough to trick you. Seems I was wrong."

Sam just continued to back away, feeling his breath come short and his heart beat so hard it started to hurt.

"You're not real!" he forced out between gritted teeth and pressed his eyes shut. He knew that Azazel couldn't be there. Dean had shot him with the Colt and killed him. Sam knew that it had to be a hallucination created by the Buru Buru, but it seemed so real. He hoped desperately that Dean was hurrying up. He forced himself to open his eyes only to realize that Azazel now was almost nose to nose with him. He fell back in shock and clutched his chest.

"Doesn't really matter now does it?" Azazel winked at him. "What is real though is your funeral and this time you will stay dead."

"I'm not listening," Sam yelled, pressing his eyes shut again and grabbing at his chest. The pain was overwhelming. His heart felt like it was ready to burst out of his chest.

"That's because your heart is in your head, kiddo," Azazel said matter-of-factly.

"Oh come on," Dean fought with the lighter while keeping one eye on Sam. His brother was clearly in the grip of his irrational fear, fighting an unseen enemy. Dean knew he didn't have much longer before Sam's heart gave out on him. Finally the fire erupted from the lighter and he tossed it onto the bones and jumped out of the grave.

"Sam? Sam!" He clumsily landed on his knees on the grass beside his brother. Sam was pale, his breath hitching and eyes shut tightly.

"Please! It had to work," Dean begged and pressed his whole hand against the side of Sam's neck again. He felt his brother's pulse racing so quickly he almost had problems separating one beat from the next.

"Calm the hell down!" Dean gritted, but Sam didn't seem to hear him. His nerves were starting to fray and he had just one idea left.

"I'm sorry, Sam." He took hold of Sam's head and lifted his head a bit before knocking it back against the ground, knocking Sam out. The rigid body immediately went limp. Dean held his breath while feeling the pulse under his hand started to slow down. It didn't take long before Sam began to rouse.

"You okay, Sammy?" Dean asked, giving his brother a chance to regain his mental equilibrium.

"You did it? Did it work?" Sam asked, rubbing the back of his head. Dean sighed in relief when he felt Sam's pulse slow back to a more normal beat.

"I think so. You see anything? You feel an irrational fear for shovels? You feel like scratching your arms open?" Dean asked, leaning over to pick up the shovel. Sam frowned and sat up with some help from Dean.

"Not unless you plan to knock me out with it," he answered, glaring at his big brother. He rubbed at the back of his head. "Did you really need to hit me?"

"It was either that or having your heart explode in your chest," Dean said defensively. He didn't care if Sam was pissed off. His brother was alive and safe now, and that was all that mattered.

"Fine. Thanks." Sam said, hoping his thanks didn't sound too begrudged. He lifted his arm to check the scratches, but to his surprise they were gone.

"Look. I guess it worked," Sam hadn't expected the wounds to be healed, but he guessed killing off the source to the sickness healed everything. At least for those who managed to survive.

"Thank God. Then it is over. Just so you know, mine vanished also when you finished Luther," Dean explained and helped Sam up. They headed back towards the Impala after hastily refilling the grave

"So. Backseat or passenger seat?" Dean joked and nudged Sam in the side.

"Driver's seat?" Sam suggested with a snicker.

"Yeah? I don't think so. Another day, when I'm sure you're back to normal," Dean said, unlocking the car.

"Worth a try," Sam rubbed his eyes and for the first time noticed how tired he really was. "Can we just get back to the motel? I could sleep for a week."

Dean silently agreed and drove away from the graveyard.

* * *

Slightly more humor again this time. I hope it worked out for you and let me know what you think! =)

Oh and a random little shout out to Jared and Genevieve. To hell with all the haters, I wish them all the luck and love!! 3


	8. Hypothermic

Hey hey lovelies! I have NOT forgotten you! I just had done such a pisspoor job on this chapter so my beta reader had one hell of a job lol. So, the limp isn't the major point here, but it's there XD

_Beta reader is still **Ravanne!**_

* * *

**H – Hypothermic**

_Set: After Chapter 7 (Ghost Sickness). In late season 5._

"Hey! Remember the pie!" Dean called out before Sam could close the door to their motel room.

"When do I ever..?" Sam bit his bottom lip and. "That was one time, Dean."

"Yeah but you said the exact same thing and you forgot the pie!" Dean warned, pointing accusingly with the remote control.

Sam rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him. _The way to Dean's heart: Burgers, pie and women._ Some things never changed, but there was a certain reassurance in that. It was a cold evening and Sam huddled deeper into his too-thin hooded jacket. He really should have put on a heavier coat. It took about fifteen minutes to walk to the store, but by the time he reached the little supermarket he was quite frozen.

"Help! Someone… help us!"

Sam had just finished his shopping and barely gotten out of the store when he heard a loud cry for help. He looked around and saw a cars headlights shining upwards instead of forward. He tightened the hold on the bag and rushed towards the lights.

"Oh thank God!" a young woman standing next to the overturned car exclaimed as Sam reached her. "My boyfriend is hurt!"

"What happened?" Sam asked, taking a quick assessment of the situation.

"Our car slipped on the icy ground and he lost control. He hit his head pretty hard."

Sam nodded as he knelt down and focused is attention on the injured man. He was barely awake and disorientated, but reacted when Sam forced the dented door open.

"Hey, you're okay?" Sam asked as he quickly checked the man for injury.

"Been better," the stranger groaned and pressed a hand to the side of his head.

"Have you called for ambulance?" Sam asked the woman who said that she had. Her boyfriend was losing consciousness and Sam became concerned that he might be more badly injured that he originally appeared. His body temperature was dropping and he appeared to be going into shock.

"Let's see if we can't make him more comfortable until help gets here," Sam said as he pulled off his jacket and carefully laid it over the injured man.

"Oh no, you'll freeze," the woman said worriedly.

"It's okay. He's the one who's hurt," Sam answered, trying to be as reassuring as possible. Thankfully they heard the sound of sirens not far away and Sam felt it was time to make a quick getaway. He and Dean needed to stay as far beneath radar as possible and he could not risk a run in with the police, even if he was the good guy here.

"Seems like the ambulance is here. He's going to be fine." Sam stood up abruptly and turned to leave. The young woman looked up at him, surprised at his hasty retreat.

"But…what about your jacket?" she asked, confused at how Sam was rushing away from them.

"Don't worry about it. It's old. I have to go though," Sam insisted. The ambulance was within sight and there was nothing more that Sam could do for them.

"O-okay. Thank you," the woman said appreciatively. She clearly was still surprised at how he was rushing away, but thankful for his help. She turned her attention back to her boyfriend, cooing reassuringly as the ambulance pulled up alongside the wreaked car.

Sam grabbed his bag and hurried away. He hadn't expected to be delayed and he knew that Dean would be annoyed if he didn't return quickly. He tried to ignore the ice cold wind biting through the thin fabric of his shirt. He shivered violently, but didn't slow down or let go of the bag even though all he wanted to do was find a warm spot to huddle down in. He didn't want to disappoint Dean again. Even though it was just a pie, it would make Dean happy and that was all Sam wanted now. After everything he'd been through, Dean deserved to be happy and Sam refused to be the source of any more disappointment or pain for his brother.

He would have shouted in relief when he spotted the Impala as he rounded the corner by the motel if his teeth weren't chattering uncontrollably. He knew that he'd been walking only a few minutes but it felt like hours. His arms and chest was hurting from the cold. His cheeks felt as if they were burning and he couldn't feel his hands any longer. He felt himself stumble, nearly falling but it was by sheer will that he kept on his feet. Sam nearly cried out in relief as he arrived at the door and his numb hands fumbled with the key as he tried unsuccessfully to get the lock to open. Sam finally managed to push the door open before Dean had the chance to start readying weapons at the sudden intrusion.

"C…cold," Sam mumbled and dropped the bag to the floor, desperately rubbing at his arms to warm his body.

"What the hell! Where's your jacket?" Dean jumped up from his bed, shocked to see Sam standing there, shivering in nothing but his shirt. He didn't need to touch Sam to see that he was absolutely freezing. He quickly pulled the comforter from his bed and rushed to his brother.

"Acc…accid'nt," Sam sputtered and sighed as Dean pulled him into a warm embrace and wrapped him in the thick blanket. He managed to half carry, half drag Sam to the bed and helped lay down.

"Man w's hurt. Gav'im jac't," he tried to explain, pressing his icy face into Dean's warm clothed chest. Dean didn't say anything first. He just rubbed Sam's back, feeling his younger brother's body shiver.

"Leave it to you to get hypothermic on a 15 minute walk," Dean mumbled while looking around the room for something to help warm Sam.

"Got your pie," Sam pointed towards the bag on the floor. He felt his brother turn to look.

"Okay. So you're freezing half to death, but didn't let go of the pie? I'm glad you got your priorities right," Dean chuckled sarcastically and tugged Sam a little closer.

"You're welcome," Sam mumbled back, almost falling asleep in Dean's arms when his shivering began to calm.

* * *

"Ask me anything," Sam said an hour later. Dean had gotten him into a warm bath and then back into bed, wrapped up in every blanket Dean could find. Finally feeling comfortable for the first time in what seemed like forever, he watched his brother dig into the slightly squashed pie.

"Ummm…. Okay." Dean seemed to be thinking for something while chewing. It seemed that if pie was involved, all other considerations were relegated to a distant second place, Sam thought.

Dean notice Sam's bemused expression and demanded, "Seriously? You feel threatened by the pie?"

"Dean!" Sam groaned, flinging himself backwards onto the bed.

"I mean, you always complain when I want pie so I just wondered if you think I might love pie more then my own little brother." Dean asked with a serious voice, but the corners of his mouth twitched and belied his mood.

"Dean…" Sam groaned, pulling up the comforter to half cover his face. "I'm serious. I want you to ask anything you want the answer to about the six months you were down under," he insisted.

"You can say Hell, Sam. I wasn't in Australia," Dean sounded serious now, but Sam didn't emerge from his hiding place. Dean sighed, feeling the tension rise up between them uncomfortably.

"Sam, what's done is done. Why would I want to go poking at old wounds now?" Dean paced around the room uncomfortably before sitting down on the bed beside Sam.

"Because you deserve answers," Sam said softly.

"Does this have anything to do with last week?" Dean swallowed his last bite of his pie and focused on Sam who rolled over to face the wall, the blankets completely hiding him. Sam had seen some horrible things while in the throws of the ghost sickness, things that he hadn't been able to talk to his brother about. Sure, Dean wondered what had happened, but would it really do them any good to start dragging all this stuff back up again?

"I know… done is done. I can't take back what I did to you, but if getting answers helps..." Sam's voice trailed off. He felt Dean pull the blanket away, uncovering his face and gently turned Sam's head to face him.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked. He did a ton of questions for Sam. He wasn't sure he really wanted answers to some of them but he needed to know, but what he wanted more then anything was to fix things between him and Sam. There was a sense of relief that Sam was clearly trying so hard.

He had told Sam that he forgave him, but Sam hadn't accepted his forgiveness. Sam had told him that even though Dean said he forgave him that Dean didn't really mean it, and Dean had to admit to himself that Sam was probably right. Despite everything that had happened, Sam knew him better than anyone. Still, even though they hadn't come to the full forgiveness part yet, it warmed him to know that Sam wanted to earn it. He wanted Dean to be able to say it and mean it.

"I'm sure. Ask me anything. Just, be sure you want the answer because I will tell you everything." Sam moved his head a bit to rest better against the pillow. "No more lies, and no more hiding anything."

"Oh, I'm sure of that. We both know that when you come clean, you come too clean. Let's keep the full frontal to a minimum," Dean sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically, but gave Sam a crooked smile.

"Then let's do this," Sam insisted. "Go on. Anything you want. Shoot."

Dean was quiet for almost a minute, thinking seriously of what he wanted to ask. The whole time he looked at Sam, but Sam wouldn't bring himself to meet his gaze.

"You want to tell me about the first days, weeks after I went to Hell?" he asked carefully."You don't need to if it hurts to talk about it." He wanted to give Sam an out because he knew what he was asking was extremely painful. If it was even a fraction as bad as Dean suspected it had been for his brother, the last thing he wanted was for Sam to drag up all those painful memories.

"I don't care how much it hurts. I deserve it," Sam insisted.

"Don't say that," Dean said gently. Did Sam think that Dean wanted to see him in pain?

Sam inhaled deeply, and Dean could see him mentally going back to that moment when he'd watched his older brother be torn to shreds right before his eyes. Dean knew immediately what he was thinking about, because he'd worn that exact same look in his face at Cold Oaks.

"Bobby came into that room not long after Lilith had left and you were... dead." Sam swallowed deeply, trying hard to talk as emotionlessly as possible so that he could actually get the words out without breaking down.

"He cried too. I've never seen Bobby cry before," he muttered and hugged a pillow closer with one hand and looked up at Dean. "The couple of following days was a blur. I don't remember much. Bobby wanted to b.. He wanted to burn your body properly. I didn't." Sam was grimacing already, trying hard hold back the still raw pain.

"I had already started to try to find something to bring you back, but I needed your body to be kept safe so we buried you."

Dean watched his brother quietly as Sam told his story and struggled to keep the emotions from his face. He was never a person to show emotion or weakness in front of Sam when it was his little brother who needed someone to be strong for him, but right then it took every ounce of control he possessed to keep from reaching out for his brother. To touch his arm or grasp his hand. Anything to close the space between them.

"Bobby and I drove into the forest and found a little clearing away from everything. There was nothing out there that would disturb you and it looked like the perfect place. I don't know how long we were there, but it took forever to... to dig the grave. I didn't want Bobby's help, but he insisted and we took turns digging. I made a cross and tried to carve something into the wood, but I couldn't. I didn't know what to write," Sam turned over to his back and covered both hands over his face.

"When we were done I told Bobby to go home and I would come later. I wasn't ready to leave you. I didn't go to Bobby's though. I left and tried everything to get you back. I tried everything twice, but nobody would or could help. Even the Crossroads demon refused to deal. He said I didn't have anything they wanted," Sam's body was trembling and his voice was a rasping whisper..

"I gave up too quickly. I know. Everything felt even more hopeless and I decided to go after the one who had caused all of this." Sam didn't remove his hands from his face and Dean couldn't just sit there any longer. Not with his brother on the verge of coming apart completely.

"Sam. Relax. Come on," Dean sat down on Sam's bed and pulled his hands away from his face. His little brother's eyes were wet, but he wasn't really crying. His body was shivering though and his eyes were so far away and drowning in plain misery.

"Sam, please. I'm right here. You're not there anymore." Dean started to tap his cheeks, trying to get Sam to focus on him and not the memories.

"I know how it is to lose the most important person in your life, Sam. That's why I always refuse to think back on Cold Oak. I'm sorry I asked," Dean said gently and smiled sadly when Sam finally looked at him and even pouted.

"That's not the same." Dean was shocked by the near sneer on Sam's face and Sam tried to turn over and away from his brother, but Dean held him in place by his arms.

"Sam, you've got no right to tell me losing you didn't hurt as much as you losing me," Dean felt anger built in himself. At that Sam sat up, leaning on his arms so he was face to face with his brother.

"I'm not saying it didn't hurt, but how long did you have to stay without me, huh? You didn't need to bury me. You didn't get to feel the complete hopelessness that just wouldn't go away! You went out and got your deal to get me back. I had to live with you being gone!" Sam took a deep breath when he realized that he was probably hurting his brother instead of making things better.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking away. "I didn't mean that. It was just... I had never felt so hopeless and useless before. Whatever I did nothing was good enough and then that bitch came into the picture!"

Dean put his hands on Sam's shoulders when he heard his voice starting to crack at the thought of Ruby,

"Sam, it's okay. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Dean made a soothing massaging motion with his one hand and Sam took a deep breath.

"I'm not trying to get your sympathy here. I don't deserve that. Nothing I experienced was anything near Hell. I just want you to know what happened and why I did those unforgivable things." Sam was rambling and he only stopped himself when he saw the deep sadness in his brother's face.

"Next question," Sam quickly added before Dean had the chance to say something. He ran a hand quickly under his eyes to dry away coming tears and lay down again.

"I guess I should thank you for not burning my body," Dean quipped, hoping that his gallows humor would break the tension and he patted Sam on the chest.

"You're welcome," Sam answered without laughing back. Dean let his hand rest on Sam's chest a bit before standing up and lay down on his own bed just a few feet away from Sam. He turned onto his side so the two of them were facing each other.

"Did you fight any monsters while I was gone?" Dean asked curiously and Sam had to think a little.

"About a month before you came back I went to see Bobby. You can imagine how pissed he was." It was Sam's turn to chuckle now. Dean grinned, very well able to imagine just how Bobby would have reacted

"When he calmed down I agreed to help him with a little case in that little town we always drive by when we go to Bobby's. I thought it would be a good idea to do a regular hunt, just to keep myself grounded."

Dean nodded to show that he was listening. He wished Sam has stayed with Bobby the whole time, but didn't say anything. He knew Sam wished he had done thing differently and saying so would only have hurt Sam further

"What was it?" he asked curiously.

"Some kind of demon, we thought. Or maybe a metamorphic creature. It was either possessing animals or turning into them. I don't remember much about that hunt," Sam said, his eyes closing and his brow furrowed.

Dean immediately became concerned, wondering at what had happened to Sam. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Something went wrong. The creature had become something big when it ran at me. I think it was a bear or a horse or something. Anyway, it knocked me in the head for the next thing I know I woke up in a hospital a couple of weeks later," Sam's features relaxed as he breathed slowly.

"What!?" Dean shot up in the bed, not bothering to hide his concern. "You were in the hospital for a couple weeks?" he demanded, gaping like an idiot.

Sam opened his eyes tiredly. "Longer, but I'm not sure just how long. Bobby told me I had been in coma for almost two weeks."

Dean sat frozen in bed, staring at Sam who seemed oblivious to Dean's reaction. His brother had been in a coma and nobody had said a word to him.

"Why...why didn't you tell me?" Dean swallowed hard and lay down again. He had to remind himself that it had happened a long time ago now and Sam was fine. Well, maybe not quite fine, but he would take anything else over a little brother in coma.

"You'd been to Hell, Dean. I thought you had bigger things to worry about." Sam actually snorted and opened his eyes. "Dean, does it matter? I'm fine now. Shit like that happen and worse shit happen after it so... let it go."

Dean hated this. He hated how Sam was just writing off anything bad that happened to him as unimportant. "I have another unpleasant question," Dean said, feeling guilty that he needed to ask what was gnawing at him , but Sam only nodded.

"When and... well, why did you start drinking it?" Dean didn't need to specify what "it" was.

They lay on their beds, starting at one other for a long time before Sam finally spoke.

"Ruby started to train me. If I was going to take on Lilith, I needed more than just the blade. The night you died proved that. I was a bad student and I couldn't get it to work. I just started to get massive nosebleeds, like with Samhain," Sam explained, reminding Dean how hard it had been to take out such a high-level demon. "I even passed out a few times. I was pretty useless," he explained, flushing a little in embarassement.

Dean didn't say anything, struggling to keep any emotion from showing. Passing out was the least dangerous thing here, besides it wasn't like Sam hadn't done that before.

"One night after another unsuccessful try..." Sam paused. He left out what exact day. He didn't want to remind neither himself nor Dean of what he and Ruby had done in his weakest moment. "That night she explained to me one reason why I just couldn't get my powers to work right and I just took the bait like the useless shit I am." Sam was getting angry, and Dean knew that anger was directed no so much at Ruby, but towards himself.

"I hated it. I hated how it tasted and how it made me feel even if I was able to take out demons. I knew that it was dangerous and by the time you came back I hadn't been drinking any blood for a few weeks. I managed to say no for a while until Ruby managed to persuade me to start drinking again because I..." He swallowed deeply and sat up suddenly.

"What?" Dean demanded, sitting up and leaning close, trying leaned down as much as he could to try and catch Sam's eyes. Sam waved his hand, motioning for Dean to come closer. Dean got out of bed again and sat down next to his brother again.

"I was so convinced that you were weak," Sam admitted. He knew Dean knew about that already, but he had to clear things out before it ate him up from the inside. He regretted whatever he had done with Ruby, he regretted whatever he'd done to other people and he obviously had the guilt of starting the apocalypse too, but as stupid as it would sound to anyone else, what he did and thought of Dean all those months was what made him most ashamed.

"You're everything but weak. You went through something I couldn't begin to imagine, but I only saw what Ruby wanted me to see. What I wanted to see. I wanted so badly to be right," Sam was keeping eye contact now unlike earlier.

"I mean, you did come back different, but you'd been in Hell and what did I do? Crap all over you. I just..." Sam was stopped by a hand over his mouth and another on the back of his neck. Dean's eyes were sad, but his face had a hint of humor on it.

"Sam, please shut up. You're rambling now. Let me talk, ok?" He waited for Sam to nod before removing the hand over his mouth.

"One. Yes, you were a bit of a dick at times," Dean stated, shrugged a little. He saw his brother wince, but didn't protest the assessment.

"Two. You were addicted to demon blood. What do addicts do? They come up with excuses and blame everyone other than themselves." Dean knew he was being a bit harsh, but he felt a bit of relief that Sam nodded in agreement. Sam was no longer trying to reflect his deflect his responsibility in his actions.

"And third, I was weak," he admitted. Sam was shaking his head, but Dean just tightened his hand over Sam's neck, keeping his brother's attention focused on him. "Yes, I was. You know as well as I do what I mess I was. Even if I had a reason for it, I wasn't in the condition to fight a fucking Apocalypse!" Sam was still trying to shake his head in disagreement,

Dean smiled tightly, feeling something in him relax slightly now that he had finally admitted his own weakness. "Look… We both were weak. We both got played and we both had a role in starting the Apocalypse. I started the breaking of the seals. You let Lucifer out. We both suck. Okay?" Dean took a deep breath and his expression was quite a weird mix of misery and humor. He kept his hand on Sam's neck as his little brother lowered his head and let it hung. They were quiet now, listening to the distant sound of one or two passing cars not far from the motel. There was the sound of TV in a room over them and some muffled loud talking from a room further down from them.

"Can I forgive you now, Sammy?" Dean asked seriously, gently kneading at his little brother's neck. "I think I'm ready to forgive." He offered his brother a gentle smile, wanting Sam to see that he was sincere.

The smile fell a little when Sam shook his head.,

"Not yet. I mean, I would do anything for your forgiveness, but even if you feel ready to forgive, I don't earn it. Not yet. I need to work more for it to be earned."

Dean sighed and messed up Sam's hair even more,

"You're such a chick," he muttered and Sam glared at him. "Well you are."

Sam rolled his eyes before stiffening. Dean sat up straighter, on alert. Then suddenly Sam sneezed violently, which caused his big body to jump a little and making the bed creak. Dean stared at him, his mouth agape as Sam ran a hand under his nose.

"Well, that was anti-climatic." Dean shook his head and stood up. "You're not getting sick on me, kiddo." He grabbed Sam's shoulders and pressed him down onto his back and tucked him in with the blankets. Sam didn't say anything, but huddled in on himself and sighed and closed his eyes. He heard Dean shuffle around the room and shutting off lights.

Dean stood between the two beds for a few seconds before grabbing the blanket from his bed and went over to Sam's and laid that over him as well before settling down beside him. Despite his little brother's huge frame, all tucked in Sam didn't take much space and Dean could squeeze in next to him.

Sam didn't say anything, afraid that if he did he would only cause Dean to move again and he didn't want that. He wanted to be warm and safe, like he'd always felt with Dean when they were younger. He wanted to know that all of what he had talked about today was in the past and Dean was really there. He was still unable to believe that he actually had his big brother back. He had been too busy being a monster last year to think over what he had gotten back.

"Sam?" Dean's voice interrupted his train of thoughts. Sam raised his head a bit to see Dean looking at him.

"I appreciate what you did," he said sincerely. "It's good to know that my little brother is back," He gave Sam one last smile before lying down.

Sam didn't say anything, but nodded too. It didn't take long before the two Winchester's were sound asleep, nestled together in a too-small bed in a motel room in the middle of nowhere.

_The way to Dean's heart: Honesty, his little brother and pie._

* * *

So, what'ya think?

Also, if you have any suggestion on a limp for "U", "R" and "Q" - Lemme know! If you already have given me ideas for those - shoot again! lol.


	9. Insane

Thank you for all the suggestons I got for some future chapters! I will for sure pick some of them. Pity I can just pick one from each hehe.

Anyway I'm going on a studytrip with my film class on sunday (Dublin, Irland woho!), but wont be more then five days and the following chapter is in my beta's hands hehe. So, I post this today so maybe it wont be too long before next chapter comes up again =)

_As always, thanks to my lifesaver, beta reader **Ravanne!**_

**

* * *

**

**I - Insane**

_Set: During Sam, Interrupted_

Sam woke up with a start. He realized his arms and legs were bound to the bed he was lying on. He couldn't open his eyes completely, momentarily blinded by the bright lighting.

"Dean?" he called out despite seriously doubting that Dean was hiding under the little bed. The room was too small and it was readily apparent that he was completely alone. He heard footsteps right outside the door and seconds later it opened, the nurse who had examined him when he first came into the facility stepped in.

"Let me out of here!" Sam shouted at her, struggling against the restraints.

"No, no… you're far too angry to be out there," she said. Sam looked at her reflection in the mirror over his bed and saw the image of the wraith they'd been hunting.

"It's you!" He cursed himself for not figuring it out sooner, before he was restrained and trapped. She started rambling about herself and hunters and the hospital while trailing a finger over his forehead. He tossed and turned, but it was never far away enough to get her hands off of him. He felt anger boil in him again. Feeling helpless while lying there while she pranced proudly around the room, mocking him before settling down beside him on the bed. She held out her hand and a long disgusting point shot out her wrist. Sam stared at it and tried uselessly to get out of the restrains. She grabbed his head and turned him to the side so she had open access to his neck.

"No," he gasped as he felt a sting on the side of his neck, but the pain had only increased as the spike slowly slid into his skull. His eyes rolled back as he gasped and arched his back, struggling to get away.

"No..," he mumbled again before feeling his body fall limply back onto the bed.

"Hey!" A familiar man's shout filled the room and Sam winced as the source of the pain was ripped out of his neck.

"You get away from him..," Sam tried turned his head to see what was going on, but the world had gone blurry. He could see the outlines of the dark clothed nurse and the light clothed figure of his brother, but the world suddenly turned black.

* * *

Dean stumbled down the corridors, following the few trails of blood. He could hear someone gasping in pain nearby and didn't stop when he saw the nurse who had first greeted him when they first arrived at the hospital leaning over Sam.

"Hey!" Dean shouted and the nurse turned around. His vision wavered, but there was no mistake that there was blood on the spike jutting out of her wrist.

"You get away from him!" He blinked a few rapidly, trying to clear his vision but it was useless. He knew that the wrath was the cause and he had to kill her before he could see clearly again. Hell, if he wanted to keep himself and his brother alive.

"Well well, you're quite a runner despite seeing double," The wraith grinned cheerfully and licked the disgusting thing the same way she did after pulling it out of Wendy's neck.

"You have no idea," Dean grumbled and held up his tiny little knife, waiting for the wraith to charge at him. Dean wasn't fast enough to dodge the punch the wraith aimed at his face. He managed to avoid the second blow and shoved her away, but she charged at him again.

"You can't beat me, Dean. Not when you see two of me," the wraith hissed and shoved him up against the wall, holding him there with on hand. Dean could see her other hand coming toward his face, the long spike sliding out from under the skin again and he felt his stomach lurch. He tried to fight her off, but the spike only grew longer, nearly touching his skin. Desperately, he grabbed hold of the freaky thing and used all his strength to break it. She screamed in pain as blood started spurting.

"Guess again," he grumbled and used his opening to shove her off of him. He gripped the knife and plunged it into her chest. She gasped and looked down at the fatal wound before falling against the wall and slid down. Dean shook his head and blinked a few times to see if it helped. The blurry world began to focus again and he could now clearly see the dead wraith sprawled on the floor at his feet.

"Another one bites the dust. Yippee!" Okay, this place was now getting to him. Dean shook his head once more after the uncharacteristic "Yippee" and turned his attention to his brother.

"Aw, crap. Sam!" He clumsily made his way over to Sam and sat down where the wraith had been sitting just moments ago,

"Please don't say she got you." He swallowed hard and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the deep puncture wound. Sam was unconscious, his skin pale and clammy under Dean's hand.

"Damn it! Sam!" He looked down at his brother, trying to will him to open his eyes but got no response.

"No! Don't do this to me Sam," he swore under his breath as he checked for pulse. Dean froze for a minute, unsure of what to do. Sam had a pulse and hopefully that meant he had stopped the wraith before she could seriously injure him in time, but they were in deep trouble now. They had to get out, but there was no way he would be able to carry a completely limp Sam out of there. Sam outweighed him by a good forty pounds and right now he was a dead weight.

"Dean? Dean? Dean! Dean? Deeeean?"

Dean frowned when he heard his name being repeated in a loud whisper. The voice came closer and closer and soon enough Martin stood at the door.

"Dean? Dean!" Martin stopped up when he finally found what he was looking for. He smiled relieved for a second until he saw Sam.

"Holy crap. She got him?" Martin looked from the dead wraith and Dean,

"He's alive. You gotta help me get him out," Dean urged the reluctant man. Martin was pretty much the same height as Dean, but he was a little stronger built. Dean needed him to handle Sam while he covered their escape.

"Martin! Come on!" Dean started undoing the restraints holding Sam to the bed and finally Martin went to the other side and did the same. Just then the alarm went off and Martin began to really freak out.

"Hey! Focus. You think you can carry him for a little bit?" Dean opened the last binding and Martin just shook his head, but he did as he was told. He put one arm just below Sam's shoulder blades and the other below his knees and lifted.

"Oh man he's really heavy," Martin complained, but managed to hitch Sam higher up. Dean made sure the other man had a good hold of his brother before he led the way out into the hallway.

"Where's the closest exit?" Dean turned, keeping his pace deliberately slow so that Martin could keep up with him. Sam was hanging limp as a rag doll in Martin's arms and his head was tipped backwards. Blood had slowly started to run from the wound on his neck and his mouth hung open, trying desperately to pull in air.

"Just down those stairs and then there's an exit, but there's probably..." Martin yelped when two security guards rounded the corner in front of them.

"Hey! You!" one of the guards shouted while the other pulled his radio from his belt and sent out the warning that an escape was in progress.

"We need backup! There's two men with an unconscious patient here," the second one shouted into the radio just as Dean came up and smashed his fist into the first guard's face and knocked him out. The second one stopped short as Dean charged at him too.

"Stop!" he shouted, but it was too late. Dean shoved him against a window, head first.

"Sorry, but you're chasing the good guys!" The oldest Winchester grimaced at the pain in his fist.

"Come on!" He turned back to Martin who was standing still, Sam still in his arms. "We've got to get out of there before they find that body."

The older man didn't move at first, standing motionless with Sam still cradled in his arms. "Martin!" Dean snapped, trying to get his attention. They didn't have time to waste dawdling.

"I can't go! I have to stay here," Martin insisted, looking as if he were ready to drop Sam and run back where they came from.

"Martin. Please. If you want to be locked up in a crazy house, then fine. But please help us now. I bet they let you back in anywhere as long as you tell the truth! They like the crazy stories" Dean offered desperately.

"I need to get Sam help, but I can't do it alone. Not here. Not yet," Dean begged and it worked. Martin groaned and reluctantly nodded. Soon they were hurrying down the stairs and were out the final door. They rushed as fast across the lawn as they could manage with Sam's dead weight slowing them and into the forest where Dean had hidden the Impala.

"Dean! Come on! I can't hold him much longer," Martin complained when they finally slowed down by the Impala. Dean opened the back door of the car and Martin laid Sam down as gently as he could manage. With Dean's help, they were able to get Sam as stretched out on the back seat as they could.

"Listen!" Martin pointed towards where they had come from. Shouting came closer and closer.

"You go. I'll distract them so you can get away. Hurry!" Martin urged Dean into the car and then ran off before Dean had the chance to thank him. Dean looked over his shoulder to check on Sam and found his brother stretched out as much as he could while one of his long legs was bent on top of the bench and the other over the edge. His arms was in a pretty much similar position and it looked quite uncomfortable, but it would have to do for now. The kid was still out cold anyway.

Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes once before starting the car and getting out of the place.

* * *

Dean found himself lost in his own thoughts as he drove as on autopilot down the old road in the deep forest. He quietly thought of everything happening at the hospital. How bad idea it had truly been. Now Sam was hurt and he had no idea seriously. Dean wished he would moan; make some kind of sound to show that he was still alive and starting to wake up.

Dean didn't want to think about the mess that hospital had managed to pull out of the two of them. On top everything else, the anger Sam had kept bottled up inside and the guilt Dean had managed to keep a lid on were now out in the open. He groaned, trying to fight the wave of helplessness that came over him. It was so freaking unfair how everything went to hell for them so quickly. Whatever handle they had on their issues had been stripped away completely.

All they could really do was keep moving and hope that the hospital hadn't been able to get the police on their tail yet. He glanced up in the little mirror in front of him to see if they were still alone on the road, but something blocked the view out the back window.

"Holy shit, Sam!" Dean shouted and nearly steered the Impala into a ditch before managing to get her back on the road.

"You scared the crap out of me!" Dean exclaimed. He wasn't angry in any way but his heart was beating furiously. He hadn't expected Sam to be awake. On a second glance though he noticed Sam was slumped back against seat, one hand pressed against the wound on his neck,

"M'sorry," Sam mumbled, silent tears running down his cheeks. He tried to move his legs into a better position so he could sit up properly, but didn't have the strength to push his body upright. "Hurts so much," he said quietly and grimaced when he moved his neck a bit.

Dean swallowed tightly and stopped the car. He got out of the car, popped open the trunk to find their first aid kit before sliding into the back beside Sam. The woods around them was dark and the headlights of the car was the only things that revealed that they were still on a road. It really started to feel like they had driven right into a horror movie.

"Let me see." Dean carefully took hold of Sam's wrist, trying to move the hand away from the ugly wound, but Sam yelped in pain and pushed him off weakly.

"Don't touch me!" He probably meant to shout it because his eyes was shining with anger, but it came more out like a groan.

"Still feeling the anger?" Dean kept himself from groaning aloud. He had hoped that being unconscious would have given Sam's mind a chance to defuse some of the anger the wraith had woken in him, but it was obvious that he was still in the grip of his fury. Whatever control Sam had managed to keep on his emotions had been ripped away.

"Hell yeah," Sam sneered. He wasn't angry specifically at his brother. Just angry in general and he had an open wound in his neck with what he guessed was brain juice running out of it. It certainly didn't to anything to improve his mood, and for some reason Dean's fusing just made it worse.

"Okay Sam, listen. I know you're pissed off, but you gotta let me check it out. I have no idea how serious this is so please try to put a lock on your anger? Okay? I'll buy you a Piñata and a bat later," Dean promised with a smile, and he could see that his joke helped relax Sam just a little. Sam managed to smile just a little bit, but it was enough.

"Breathe," Dean whispered as Sam tensed up and grimaced as he removed his hand from the wound. Sam didn't move a muscle once he revealed the wound and it was Dean's turn to grimace. The wound was an ugly puncture and was still leaking blood. He took hold of Sam's chin and tried to carefully turn his brother's head more to the side. It only caused Sam to pull in a deep breath and his eyes to shoot open.

"Don't, please," Sam whimpered, grabbing at Dean's hands. ""It feels like someone stabbed a branch dipped in hot sauce in there,"

Dean tried to ignore Sam's pleas and focused on the task at hand, but everything he did caused his little brother huge amount of pain. He sighed and intentionally pressed a clean wad of gauze against the wound and Sam would have screamed if he were able to get enough breath do to so. Dean wished that the pain would be enough to knock Sam out again, and it didn't take more then a few seconds before his eyes rolled back and the grimace of pain relaxed a bit.

"Sam?" Dean asked. His brother wasn't completely out, his eyes weren't completely shut, but he was in a deep daze and didn't seem to register the pain quite so much now. Dean sighed when Sam didn't react and focused on the wound. He picked up his penlight and aimed it at the wound, trying to see how deep it was.

"Oh gross!" Dean wrinkled his nose and cursed under his breath. Sam opened one eye sluggishly.

"Is it bad?" he whispered, but Dean could hear him.

"I think we have to go to the hospital, Sam. I can't see how deep it is and seeing as the goal was your brain, I'm not going to take any chances," Dean explained.

"What are you going to tell them?" Sam asked and closed his eyes again. Dean sighed loudly as he found a roll of medical tape. He hoped that he could manage to the slow the bleeding until they got to help.

"I'll come up with something." Dean carefully pressed the gauze against the wound at the back of Sam's neck and started applying strips of tape to hold it fast.

"Maybe that you were attacked and stabbed by a pointy obje..," He stopped his movements when Sam tensed up and moaned loudly. His little brother breathed heavily through his nose, trying to use his mouth and neck as little as possible and ride out the pain. Dean wished that he could do something more and focused on getting the job done as quickly as possible. Sam moaned again in pain and Dean hurried to get the wound taped so he could get his brother to help.

"Careful there, Sam. People might get the wrong idea here," Dean teased as he finished field dressing the wound.

"Jerk," Sam whispered a ghost of a smile on his face.

"So... you don't happen to know where the nearest emergency room is, do you?" Dean asked and sat back to catch his breath. Had they not had a medical emergency on their hands, he could easily just sit there and enjoy some quiet time with his brother.

"Ch-check laptop," Sam muttered and tried to find a more comfortable position.

"Uh, I doubt there's Internet connection out here," Dean reminded him, but picked up Sam's laptop from where it was lying on the floor anyway.

"Got map over the place…ouch," Sam stilled his movements the pain flared again. He tried to push himself to sit up, but ended up slumping sideways into his brother instead.

"Downloaded before we... we went into the hospital," he explained tiredly and gave up trying to move again. He settled against Dean's body and luckily his big brother didn't seem to take any notice of that.

"Heh… God bless the geeks," Dean snickered, smiling a little to himself when he felt Sam settle against his side.

"Sam. I need password," he said and tilted his head a bit to see Sam's face. Sam tiredly looked up from where his head was resting on Dean's upper arm.

"Uh..." Sam frowned. "I don't... remember..." he mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Hey, stay awake," Dean twisted his arm so he could put a hand on Sam's cheek, tapping it gently to keep Sam's attention focused. "Try a little harder." He lifted Sam's head so his chin was almost resting on Dean's shoulder and Dean could easily see Sam's face.

Sam opened his eyes again and started slightly at the sudden closeness. It had been so long since Dean had held him like this. Dean would usually just nudge Sam off his shoulder, not letting him get too close and make a comment about personal space.

"Try... uh... apple," Sam suggested and watched quietly as Dean wrote in the word into the password field.

"Wrong," Dean said when the monitor warned that access was denied.

"I knew that," Sam muttered and tried to think again. Meanwhile Dean started typing whatever came to his mind. Wrong answer after wrong answer.

"Geez, Sam, when it's not even zepplinrules or thedean I don't think we're ever finding this out," he joked, trying not to get show his concern.

"It's Dean protected," Sam snickered tiredly, closing his eyes,

"Don't want Busty Asians so-called beauties filling the harddisk."

He could feel Dean's gaze on him and soft breath rolling off his forehead.

"You're feeling a little better?" he heard his brother ask quietly.

"Wanna sleep," Sam complained. Dean nudged him slightly to keep him awake.

"Try 'impala'," the youngest Winchester suggested.

"I already tried that," Dean was speaking quietly and Sam guessed it was either his brother being kind and considerate or he was on the verge of losing consciousness again.

"With a small 'i'?" Sam mumbled. He could feel when Dean turned back to the computer again and when it worked.

"A small 'i' in Impala, Sammy? That's a disgrace," Dean joked and looked back at Sam, only to find his little brother either asleep or unconscious.

"Sammy?" he repeated, but got no response and his eyes stayed shut. Dean twisted his arm again to check for a pulse. It was at least still beating. Dean turned to focus on the laptop and found the map Sam had been talking about.

"Damn, the closest hospital is back where we came from, but I don't want to take that chance. The other hospital is at least two hours away," Dean muttered. "And I'm talking to myself. Fantastic. I am going insane! Oh crap… still doing it,"

He turned to look at Sam again. His younger brother's face was resting against Dean's shoulder so he would know immediately if Sam stopped breathing. He knew they couldn't stay there though. Sam needed proper medical attention, but at the same time it felt nice. Like when they were younger. Dad would drive while Dean and Sam slept together in the backseat, Sam curled up against his big brother's body. Now they were alone and in the middle of nowhere, but Sam still instinctively gravitated towards him, seeking comfort from Dean. Despite everything that had gone on, and everything trying to drive them apart, they were still together.

Dean shut off the laptop and put it down before settling himself better in the seat. He moved carefully so as not to wake Sam and stretched out his legs. He tugged Sam a little better against his shoulder before resting his own head back against the seat.

"Don't dare get any worse, Sammy. I will notice anyway," Dean whispered, making sure his arm was still resting against Sam's chest. "Big brother is here."

* * *

I liked "Sam, Interruped", but I'm not gonna lie. I felt SO cheated when we didn't get more of a limp!Sam lol. So I decided pretty early on to stuff in my own "what if" version in here. So here it is.


	10. Jumped

**Yo! **Back from the studytrip to Dublin and also inspired to write more so - here's next chapter!

Hold on a bit though! Got a warning for this one though XD

**Warning:** Contains sexual situation, though nothing that should leave you scarred for life lol. Also keep in mind - this is probably my VERY first romantic situation I have ever written too so... gimme some slack if it sucks! haha

_Beta reader is as always **Ravanne!**_

**

* * *

**

**J - Jumped**

_Set: In the end of "Free to be You and Me"_

Sam just stood silently as the two hunters left the bar. Lindsey was looking all over the room, not knowing where to rest her eyes. Her gaze drifted over to the tall man close by. She knew Sam has been different, but never would have expected such a sweet looking man to be able to take on such rough looking characters and be the one left standing. Then all that talk about Apocalypse and forcing blood down people's throats? What was going on here?

"Stop looking at me like that," Sam said, running his sleeve over his mouth, wiping at the smear of blood on his lips.

He was angry, but Lindsey didn't feel fearful of him. He had saved her.

"Apocalypse?" she frowned as the tall man came over to help her loose. He went behind the counter to look for something and returned with a hammer and a thick nail.

"Don't ask," Sam muttered as he spread her hands as far away from each other as possible. "Keep still."

She did as she was told and pressed her eyes closed, waiting and hoping for her hands to come away unhurt. She jumped at a loud crash sound and her arms fell free.

"I was attacked by two pissed off men who threatened me with a big ass knife. I think I deserve a little information." Lindsey rubbed her hands and looked up at Sam. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest from what had just happened, but at the same time it was aching for the man in front of her. She knew that she should watch herself with him. She knows a smart person would probably run, but she couldn't just leave him. He could be hurt. She didn't want to leave him. She wanted to be with him and help him because one thing that hadn't changed from the first time she saw him was her the attraction she felt towards him. She silently cursed herself for it. She always fell for the outsiders. The cool and mysterious ones that usually meant trouble. Of course, Sam was taking the cake in both mystery and beauty.

"Ghost exists, demons, angels, Lucifer..." Sam started. He looked up at her, waiting for the accusation that he had lost his mind, but Lindsay merely watched him with wide eyes.

"They all exist. Once in a while a zombie pops up and a vampire," he finished cleaning himself up before getting his jacket, readying himself to leave. "Demons and angels too. They wanted their big showdown and used me to get it. What those men said was true. I ended the world."

He stopped and looked at her.

"Why aren't you running screaming out of here?" he demanded, glaring at her.

"I'm not like other girls," she said bravely, but he only sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Let me help you. Where do you stay?" She inched closer to him and looked up in his eyes.

"Look. You're sweet and all, but I'm bad news. At least go crushing on someone worth it," he mumbled and started to leave.

"Hey! Come on. I can't possibly be the first girl to fall for you," Lindsey insisted, following him. "You're all mysterious and handsome and every girls dream and also my hero. At least let me drive you home," she offered.

"My god," Sam muttered, annoyed at her persistence.

"I was just attacked by two hunters, you had a knife at your throat and you just learned I started the end of the world and you talk about random girl crushes?" Sam shook his head. Lindsey sure was different, but in a good way? He wasn't sure.

"Don't patronize me. I'm not some silly little girl who runs after every hot guy..." she kept following him outside until he finally stopped.

"Oh yeah? What is it that you're doing right now?" he sighed. He was probably coming off as a complete dick, but his focus wasn't really where Lindsey's where. His train of thoughts were interrupted as Lindsey grabbed both sides of his head and brought him down for a deep kiss. She stroked his cheek with a thumb as she pressed her lips hard against his.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, drawing away slightly. "I know I come off as a desperate stupid girl, but I can't help it. You're different and I want to help you. This whole apocalypse thing is just... well, I have no idea," she groaned, annoyed when she couldn't find the right words and Sam couldn't help but grin at the look on her face.

"Maybe it sinks in later, but apocalypse is quite big news. Still, judging by your actions, I would say it wasn't intentional. You're not evil." She wrapped her arms around herself and returned to look at him.

"Well, thanks. But it's probably safest to just leave me alone. I just hurt everyone I love. Worse of all I betrayed my brother and he's the only one I have." Sam bit his bottom lip before turning to leave again. Lindsey didn't say anything before he had gotten a few yards away.

"Hey!" she called out to him.

"Come on, Keith. I mean, Sam. Let me drive you home," she offered. She picked up her car keys from her pocket and walked over to her car. "It's the least I can do."

* * *

"So you don't have any home?" Lindsey asked curiously as Sam opened the door to his motel room.

"Not really. I used to travel around with my brother in our car. That was my home." He turned around in the door. He hadn't invited Lindsey in, but she was following nonetheless. In her defense though she had been in the middle of a question when she had stopped the car. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

"What about that blood the hunters tried to feed you?" she asked, swallowing tightly, clearly nervous about the answer.

"That's none of your business," Sam said with a gentle tone.

"Have anyone ever told you you're too curious for your own go..." he was again interrupted by Lindsey leaning up to kiss him again. Sam frowned, but closed his eyes.

"If I didn't know any better I would have thought you were just trying to get me into bed." Sam tried to pull away but Lindsey kept her hands around his neck, tracing her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck.

"So?" She smiled cheekily. "Even a one night stand doesn't need to be just meaningless sex."

He thought about it for a second before leaning down to kiss her smiling lips. This was probably a really, really bad idea. She deepened the kiss and ran her hand down his firm chest. Her hands stopped where his pants started and yanked his shirt up, sliding her hands underneath. He allowed her to pull it off him, just breaking the kiss for two seconds to get it over his head. She pulled her jacket off her before closing the distance between them and pressed up against him.

"Yummy," she snickered, which made Sam smile too. Ruby had been eager to just get started as quick as possible before he had a chance to realize what he was doing. With Ruby, sex had always been intense and dark and more than a little dangerous. Lindsey on the other hand seemed to like to have more fun and keep it lighter humored even though she was just as passionate.

"Why on earth are you hiding this under all those clothes?" she flirted and circled one hand around his slim waist and the other resting against his naked chest.

"Umm…" He didn't really know how to answer that, but Lindsey didn't seem to want one either because she was right back at kissing him. He lifted his hands to hold her head and their kiss deepened and their tongues met. They moved slow and enjoyed the closeness. Sam drew in a deep breath when they broke apart; resting his forehead against hers and just looked at her while she slid her tongue over his bottom lip before biting playfully down. She clawed at his back and pushed him against the wall. Despite her smaller form, she was taking charge. She smiled happily when Sam moaned, clearly enjoying her touch. She traced her lips down his neck while letting her hands track hungrily over his body. His hands roamed her back and lifted her tank top a bit to run his fingers over her spine.

Lindsey locked one hand on the back of Sam's neck and guided him over to the bed where he sat down and pulled her down with him.

"Na-ah," Lindsey grinned again when Sam tried to pull her under him.

"Let me," she urged, pushing him down on bed and straddling him. She pulled her top over her head and positioned herself over him.

* * *

Next morning Lindsey woke up alone in the bed. She groaned when sunlight hit her face and sat up slowly. She looked around for her clothes and found them on the floor beside the bed. For a second she wondered if Sam had run off, but then she heard the shower running. She smiled to herself as she got dressed and looked up when Sam left the bathroom.

"Morning," she greeted cheerfully, smiled widely. Her eyes ran appreciatively over his fluffy brown hair, bare chest and the pants hanging low on his hips.

"Hi." He smiled back almost shyly. She held out a hand for him and waved him over. He took it and she pulled so he plopped down on bed.

"That was nice, huh?" She crept up behind him and locked her arms around his neck and planted a little kiss on his cheek.

"It was..." Sam turned to look at Lindsey. "Different," He snickered when the look on her face went from smiley happy face to a questioning frown.

"Different in a good way?" she asked and placed another kiss on his neck. "Different as not being in charge?" She laughed when he blushed furiously.

"Definately." He chuckled again when she made a mock-offended face.

She jumped when loud banging on the other side of the door interrupted them. Sam automatically took hold of Lindsey and spun her around so he stood in front of her. She clutched onto one of his arms as the door broke open and the two men from last night burst through the door.

"Well, well, well. Are we interrupting something?" the short blond one, Hank asked, eying a bare chested Sam and Lindsey clothed in her thin tank top. "You two weren't in the middle of something, were you?"

"Leave us alone," Sam growled, very conscious of how vulnerable they were. His weapons were well out of reach and he had two guns trained directly on him.

"Oh you would have liked that wouldn't you?" the taller of the two demanded. Stepping forward, his gun aimed directly at Sam. He eyed Lindsey and gave her a lecherous smile.

"Oh sweetie. Got a thing for blood suckers huh?" Reggie asked, the teasing tone in his voice sending shivers up her spine.

"Why the hell are you here?" Sam breathed deeply, keeping his position in front of Lindsey and subconsciously holding an arm out to shield her.

"Told you we would come back and we figured it would be the best to just be done with it," the short one said and stepped closer.

"Done with what? Force more blood on me?" Sam asked, refusing to show how unnerved their encounter had left him.

"No." The taller of the men lifted his gun and fired a bullet. Lindsey screamed as the bullet struck in Sam's abdomen. Sam groaned in pain but somehow managed to stay on his feet, blood spilling over the hand he had pressed against the wound. Then the two men charged at him and Lindsey was shoved away. The taller man brought his knee right up at the bullet wound and Sam collapsed in pain.

"Stop it!" Lindsey screamed and ran at the shorter of the two and jumped onto his back. Tears were running down her face now and despite her best try, it wasn't much she could do. The other man kicked Sam a few times in the ribs and chest and finally in the face.

"Let's go!" the shorter one growled and threw Lindsey off him and onto the bed before running out. Lindsey just lay still for a second, gasping for air through the tears.

"Oh my God. Sam!" she sobbed and fell off the bed and onto the floor beside Sam.

His long legs were sprawled out. Sam kept trying to lift one of his legs up to protect himself, but failed miserably. His chest was bloody and bruised, a hand trying fruitlessly to stop the blood from running from the bullet wound.

"Breathe Sam," Lindsey cried, stroking his cheeks. He was struggling to breathe, but the blows he'd taken to his chest caused him to wheeze in pain.

"I have to call for ambulance," she whispered to herself and frantically started looking for her phone. Their things had been scattered around the room during the fight and she couldn't find her bag. Her eyes landed on the table beside the bed and saw Sam's phone resting there.

"No. Don't!" Sam grabbed at her arm.

"Can't go to hospital." He grimaced in pain, pressing his eyes closed and a sob escaped his lips when the pain wouldn't ease.

"Other mysterious reasons for that?" She fumbled with the phone, knowing that they needed help. The number for someone named Dean was the first one on the list and she pressed the dial button, desperately hoping that someone would answer.

"Stay awake, Sam. Come on, sweetie," she urged, patting his cheeks when he started to slump against the floor. Finally Sam's face relaxed completely and soon after the rest of his body.

"No, no, Sam!" She tried hard not to panic and moved her hand to rest over Sam's that was still lying over the shot wound on his abdomen. At least his chest showed that he was still breathing. It hitched up once in a while, but it kept moving. She was ready to ignore Sam's insistence about not calling for an ambulance when someone finally picked up.

"Sammy?" The voice sounded tired and she had probably woken him up.

"Dean?" Lindsey squeaked out. "You're Dean?"

It took a second before the voice returned, sounding more alert now,

"Who is this? Where's Sam?" the voice on the other end demanded.

"He's here. He... he's hurt. He's... I... I can't wake him up." Lindsey didn't know what to say.

"What?!" the voice was fully alert now. "What happened? Where are you?" Lindsey could hear that the man was shuffling around on the other line and the unmistakable sound of doors opening and the squeak of a car door.

"Some men to the bar where Kei... Sam works. They tried to force him to drink blood. Then they left and..." Lindsey took a deep shuddering breath and tried to still her tears. She looked down at Sam. He was already starting to pale a little under the bruises.

"They followed him back to the motel. They shot him!" Lindsey explained quickly. She told him where they were and seconds later she heard a car engine coming to life on the other line.

"I won't be there until at least an hour. Keep him alive and try to stop the bleeding," the man ordered. He sounded beside himself with worry and she could hear by the sounds of it that the man was driving as fast as he could.

"I have to call for ambulance. I'm no nurse!" Lindsey insisted. She couldn't understand what could possibly be so bad about hospitals that Sam would refuse to go.

"Only call for ambulance if he gets worse and stops breathing. Please! I don't know how much Sam has told you, but we can't risk getting mixed up with the police. Just please. Sam's a strong kid. You just have to do as I said, okay?"

"Okay, okay. I will. I promise," Lindsey dried her tears with her sleeves and hung up. She leaned up to the bed and pulled down a pillow. That man was putting his trust in someone he'd never met with his brother's life and Lindsey refused to let him down.

"Sam?" she whispered and stroked his cheek, wishing that he would respond just a little bit.

"I just have to move you a little," she explained to the unconscious man as she lifted his head a bit and placed the pillow under his head.

"I'll be right back." She stood up and hurried through the small room to the bathroom, grabbing the towels she found there and ran back to Sam.

"Here we go." She picked out one towel and lifted Sam's hand from the bleeding wound, biting her lip at the sight of the neat hole in Sam's skin pouring out blood. She pressed the towel hard against the wound which caused Sam to moan in pain. Worry was washing over her as she desperately tried to get the bleeding to stop. The bullet had to come out, but there was no way she could start digging around in there.

Lindsey has had to play nurse before. Occasionally one of the regular bar patrons might pass out, but this went so far beyond what she knew she was capable of handing. Sam wasn't just unconscious. He was shot and beaten too.

"Oh man, Sam… I'm so sorry. If I just hadn't tried to... maybe... maybe things would be different," she whispered, mostly to herself.

* * *

Lindsey had tried to keep track on time, but she found her focus solely on Sam's pale body. She had managed to get the bleeding to slow a bit although she still had to keep a third towel against the wound. The bruising on Sam's chest was starting to look so bad Lindsey felt she could feel the pain herself. She was sure that he had some broken ribs.

"Keep breathing, Sam. Your brother was right about you. You're strong. You can hold on a little longer right? Dean will be here soon," she rambled, stroking a hand through his dark hair. She was so focused on Sam that when someone pounded on the door again, she shrieked. The door flew open again and a furious looking man rushed in.

"Dean?" she asked, praying that it was not another man come to hurt Sam. Luckily by the look of it, this was the big brother. The man just nodded and hurried over.

"Oh God. Sammy." He swallowed hard as he knelt by Sam and quickly checked his brother over.

"I've managed to stop some of the bleeding, but the bullet has to come out," Lindsey explained and Dean only nodded, barely looking at her.

"How did he get these?" Dean asked, running a hand over the red/purple marks on Sam's chest and jaw.

"Those two men. They jumped him. I tried to stop them, but they just wouldn't stop hurting him." She moved back a little while Sam's brother checked his injuries. He lifted the towel to see the wound and he winced.

"It's okay. You did good," he reassured her and for the first time since he walked into the room turned to look at her.

"Help me with him?" he asked and moved behind Sam, locking his arms around Sam's chest as gently as possible. Lindsey hurried over and lifted his legs and together they were able to wrestle put him onto the bed.

"Can you run out to the car? In the back seat there's a first aid kit. It's the black car. You can't miss it," Dean explained and Lindsey nodded, hurrying out the door.

"I didn't think to look for a first aid kit," she said as soon as returned with the kit, berating herself for not calling the motel office.

"They wouldn't have had a kit like this. We kind of plan for every emergency. Besides, it would only get the kind of attention we're trying to avoid." Dean swallowed as he readied the tools he needed to get the bullet out.

"Who are you anyway? Why are you here?" Dean asked, glancing at the small jacket lying by the wall.

"I work with Sam. Those hunters came to him in that bar and I helped him get back here," she grimaced a bit as Dean started to dig a sterilized tool into the bullet wound,

"We…" She hesitated, not sure if she wanted Dean to know just what passed between her and Sam. "We hadn't been here for more then a few minutes when the two hunters barged in," she lied uneasily.

Dean smirked, clearly not believing her for an instant. "So. You're just his co-worker?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Lindsey bit her bottom lip and looked at the floor.

"Well, your jacket's off and Sam's shirt's not bloody, so apparently he wasn't wearing it." Dean could just fine figure out the scene himself, but he needed to know how trustworthy the girl was.

"Look. I promise you I would never hurt your brother. I was just trying to help. And stop smiling like that!" Lindsey blushed more at Dean's cocky smile.

"Look, I appreciate it. If it wasn't for you Sam would have probably just bled out here." The smirk faded as the full weight of what might have happened to Sam had he been alone when those two hunters found him settled on Dean. "I mean it."

Lindsey didn't say anything, but just nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. Dean returned his focus completely back to Sam. He put a hand carefully on Sam's stomach beside the wound as he carefully probed for the bullet. He hoped it hadn't struck anything vital or they'd have a huge mess on his hands.

"Finally," he grumbled when he felt the tweezer close around the bullet.

"Ugh, something tells me you've done this before," Lindsey said, fighting back nausea as she watched Dean carefully moving the instrument in his hands around Sam's wound. She hated to think of why they would have needed to develop such skills, but she couldn't help being impressed.

"Sadly, yes. Too many times," Dean muttered, not taking his eyes off the wound as he carefully pulled the bullet out. Sam groaned and his breathing hitched once before relaxing again. Dean put the bullet down on the bedside table and pressed the towel back against the wound.

"Sammy, come on. Wake up," Dean urged gently, trying to coax him awake, but without much luck.

"Did he wake up any time since you called me?" Dean asked as he wiped away the blood from around the wound so he could stitch it closed.

"No. He's been out since I called," she said, swallowing tightly. "I'll get you some water to clean with."

Lindsey hurried into the bathroom with the room's ice bucket. She filled it with water and found some clean washcloths before returning.

"Here," she offered, sitting down on the other side of Sam from Dean. He motioned to Lindsey for her to start cleaning Sam's abdomen while Dean moved up to his brother's head.

"Hey, Sammy. I really need you to wake up. Just for a little moment." He patted his cheeks with no reaction.

"I don't think sweet talking to him will wake him up," Lindsey stated and received a glare from Dean, but he didn't say anything. Instead he fisted his hand and placed it over Sam's sternum and quietly took notice of how his skin was clammy to the touch and his heart was beating lazily.

"This usually works," Dean said and started to rub his fist up Sam's sternum, but he still got no reaction. He tried again, a little harder and it finally made Sam turn his head a bit.

"Oww..." Sam moaned and managed to force his eyes open. His eyes turn big when he finally realized who had woken him up.

"D..." He was cut off when he registered the pain in his chest and gasped for air.

"Hey, hey. Calm down. Breathe through it," Dean soothed and patted his brother's face with a cloth, cleaning away the blood on his face.

"Wh'tyado'nher?" Sam mumbled and Dean frowned.

"Huh? Didn't quite catch that," Dean looked over his shoulder at Lindsey. Sam didn't seem to have noticed her presence yet.

"What. Are you. Doing... here?" Sam took his time to say it, but this time Dean understood him clearly.

"Well, the chick..."

"Lindsey," Lindsey reminded Dean.

"Lindsey here called me up and told me what happened. I had to come," Dean smiled a bit as he finished cleaning off Sam's face. He heard Lindsey shuffling around the room, but Dean's full focus was on Sam now. He knew Sam would probably pass out again from blood loss.

"Hey, that's not going to help," Dean took hold of Sam's arms from where they were carefully scratching at his chest. "You got some nasty bruises there. Scratching them open won't make it better."

Dean could only watch as Sam drifted off into unconsciousness again and carefully put his hand on Sam's chest and noticed that the skin was still clammy.

"I should go," Lindsey spoke up and Dean finally looked at her again. She knew that there wasn't anything more she could do for Sam and he was in good hands now that his brother was here.

"Okay," He shifted to stand up when he noticed something under his foot.

"Tell Sam to call me when he's better, okay?" Lindsey pushed her little bag up to her shoulder and opened the door.

"Sure," Dean stood up, smirking from ear to ear.

"By the way. Is this yours?" He walked over to her, a piece of clothing hanging on his index finger. Lindsey turned to look and blushed furiously.

"Uhhh," She scratched the back of her neck embarrassed before grabbing the bra and stuffed it into her bag.

"Yeah. Sorry," She looked around everywhere but at Dean before hurrying out.

"Bye!" She shouted over her shoulder. Dean snickered and closed the door behind her before turning back to where Sam was lying on the bed.

"Sammy, you sly dog," he laughed before going back to cleaning wounds.

* * *

"Hey, you're the woman from room 57?" Lindsey looked over her shoulder when a voice she didn't recognize spoke to her as she unlocked her car.

"Yeah?" she opened the car door, ready to jump in in case the older guy meant trouble.

"Ah great, why don't you come visit me in room 58 tonight?" The guy smiled cheekily and Lindsey frowned.

"Excuse me?" she demanded, glaring daggers at him, but the man didn't stop grinning.

"Yeah, well... Sounded like your boyfriend or client or whatever enjoyed your stay last night," he laughed and she gasped, shocked.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but get the hell out of my sight," Lindsey shouted, blushing again. She sat down behind the wheel and drove off, but made sure to show the man her middle finger when passing. She seethed with anger and drove off as quickly as she could back to the bar.

"Creepy perv," she growled and turned up the music on the radio to turn her thoughts somewhere else. It didn't take long before her focus were back on Sam, silently hoping he would be okay and call her later. Not for another hookup or anything, but just to let her know he was alright. She had enjoyed his stay and knew he wouldn't come back to job after everything that happened.

* * *

Dean woke and stretched his arms over his head, yawning loudly.

"Morning, Sammy." He turned his head a bit and knew he would meet his brother's eyes. He could always tell when someone was watching him.

"When did you get here?" Sam was sitting up slightly, every pillow except for one having been positioned by Dean to keep him in a comfortable position. The last pillow was left for Sam to use as a cushion for his chest and stomach when trying to move.

"Yesterday morning. Don't you remember? I talked to you then," Dean reminded, but Sam just shook his head tiredly. He let his eyes trail down Sam's chest and saw that the bandage over the shot wound was spotted with red.

"How do you feel?" Dean asked.

"Better," Sam said quietly. Dean could tell there was a question waiting to be asked, but Sam just closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry that you had to come. I guess I'm not doing any better on my own either than I did with you," Sam muttered sadly.

"Oh I wouldn't say that. That chick you brought back here... Nice, man," Dean snorted and punched Sam lightly on the shoulder.

"Lindsey," Sam reminded him with a hint of a smile on his lips.

"She wanted you to call her once you felt better. Seems like you impressed he…" Dean stopped when a hand shot out and closed over his mouth.

"Enough with those innuendos of yours." Sam actually smiled fully now, eyes open and clear with fond memories. Dean had always teased him about his girlfriends when they were younger. It had annoyed him as a teen, but now…

"They're getting old."

"Hey! My jokes never get old. And I wasn't joking," Dean assured him.

"She does want you to call her," he added. She seemed like a nice girl and Sam needed to know that she hadn't just run out on him.

Sam was quiet for a moment while thinking. "I won't," he said shortly.

"So..." Dean bit his bottom lip, watching his brother carefully. "She didn't impress you?" he laughed when Sam laughed too.

"You're hopeless," Sam groaned, still snickering. "It's just… After everything happening at the bar I don't want to drag her into more trouble."

It was Dean's time to sigh now. It was so typical of Sam to do this. He always felt he didn't deserve love or would only cause pain for those who were pulled into his life too long. Though Dean couldn't fault his reasoning and that it was probably the best idea now. Still, Sam didn't deserve to see his self-imposed loneliness as some kind of punishment for things he had no control over.

"So Hank and Reggie came after you? I can't believe it." Dean rubbed his face and lay down on his back and looked up at the ceiling. Quietly Sam mimicked the position, giving his brother a little room to think.

"First they 'only' wanted to feed me the blood and Hulk out for them," Sam explained. "They were going demon hunting and thought I'd be of use to them."

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered. There was going to be payback for that, Dean promised himself.

"When I refused, they attacked but I managed to fend them off. Then they returned here and..." Sam looked down at his chest, resting a hand over the bandaged wound. Some of the bruises were so deep they were nearly black in color.

"I shouldn't have let you go. It's like you said. Whenever we try to escape the hunting job it always finds a way to bite us in the ass and drag us back in," Dean muttered, turning his head to look at Sam again.

"You mean you'll stay with me?" Sam turned to look back, not able to hide surprised look on his face.

"No. You stay with me," Dean smiled cheekily.

"What's the difference?" Sam frowned.

"I've got the Impala," Dean grinned. Sam's expression softened, remembering what he'd told Lindsay. That car had been home to him and Dean for most of their lives..

"True." Sam held up his fist and didn't need to wait long for Dean to bump it back with his own fist.

* * *

So, what ya think? Nothing too bad? hehe. I have another, completely different chapter for "J" too, but I went with this. I wont be posting that one no, unless I post deleted scenes (yep I got them too lol) or deleted stories in the very end of the story! I wont promise anything though.


	11. Kicked

**BOOH! **lol. I'm still alive yes! Things has just gone by a little slow (obviously) so I haven't gotten to post the chapter! But it's here now and I hope you like it! Sorry for the long wait!

A Sam and Bobby story this time! ;D

_As usual huge thanks for my spellchecker, **Ravanne!**_

* * *

**K - Kicked**

_Set: You might recognize it from "Hypothermic"_

Sam took a deep breath as he stopped in front of the door of Bobby's house. The older hunter was going to be pissed. Sam had vanished almost two months ago and has avoided Bobby completely since then. He was fully expecting that his old friend was going to rip him a new one. Sam lifted a hand to knock on the door, but it opened before he could and he stood face to face with Bobby.

"Uh... hi." Sam found it difficult to look Bobby in the eyes and ended up looking at the floor.

"Well, look who decided to show up. Took you long enough." Bobby didn't sound happy, but he stepped aside to let Sam in. Reluctantly, Sam stepped inside and had just turned to face Bobby when he felt a fist hit him in the mouth, splitting his lip.

"You stupid, stupid boy!" Bobby growled and stood face to face with Sam, not shying away from Sam's usually intimidating height.

"You have any idea how worried I've been?" Bobby grabbed Sam's arm and dragged him into the house. Bobby kept rambling on about Sam's complete lack of intelligence, but Sam wasn't really listening.

"I'm sorry," Sam mumbled as Bobby pushed him down onto the old coach in the study. "I just... I needed to be alone." The excuse sounded weak even to his own ears.

Bobby knew he was growing more and more into one of those grumpy old men who hardly ever smiled, but one thing that he knew would never change was that he really cared for the Winchester boys. Now that Sam was the only Winchester left, all of Bobby's love and protection for John's sons was now directed solely at Sam. It was the one reason that Bobby had for forgiving the boy for vanishing so easily.

"Look, boy. I'm just glad you're back. I need help with a little case," Bobby explained, for once having the advantage of looking down on Sam.

"I could need something to get my mind off... things," Sam said, resting his elbows on his knees and looking up at Bobby.

"But how can it be a 'little' case if you need help?" he asked, offering Bobby a little smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Because it's a little weird. A town nearby is bugged by something, but they can't seem to explain what. They think it's some kind of animal, but..," the old hunter took off his cap and scratched his head before putting it back on.

"But what? What kind of animal is it?" Sam frowned.

"That's the thing. Each report coming in is different from the other. One girl claimed she was attacked by a Zebra while another guy by a giraffe," Bobby explained.

"So... some Zoo is missing their animals?" Sam cracked a smile when Bobby glared at him and groaned.

"You Winchesters are a bunch of comedians," he mumbled under his breath. "No, smart ass. The thing is that none of these animals is found again, yet they keep showing up."

Sam opened his mouth, but closed it again quickly. He didn't really know what to say to that.

"That is weird," he finally agreed. He let his eyes wander and finally noticed small differences in Bobby's living room. The old family friend had always kept a bottle of whiskey around to share with friends, but now there was quite a few more and most of them were empty. Sam doubted that Bobby had enough company to warrant so many, and it would explain why the old hunter needed help what sounded like a pretty easy hunt.

"So, you want to check it out?" Bobby asked quickly, needing to keep Sam focused when he saw the younger man's eyes wander about the room. He had been hard on the bottle after Dean's death and didn't really want the youngest Winchester to see it. Bobby missed Dean so much, but he knew that his sense of loss was insignificant in comparison to what Sam had to be feeling.

"Yeah. Sure. Let's go," Sam stood up, but Bobby stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Tomorrow. You look like death warmed over. What about a night's rest? We don't go into a hunt half cocked," Bobby said.

"Are you sure? I'm ready," Sam insisted, but Bobby just shook his head.

"It's late. Get to bed. We'll fix it tomorrow okay? There's no shame in needing rest, Sam." Bobby led Sam through the house and up the stairs to the spare bedroom the Winchester would use when staying with him.

* * *

Sam groaned as he stretched in the bed, making his muscles complain a little. Soft sunlight shone through the old curtains and warmed his face. For a moment he forgot where he was and decided to enjoy the peace he felt for the first time since...

"Dean!" He sat up, looking around the grey room and his eyes landed on the empty bed beside him.

"Of course," he muttered sadly, remembering everything. Each morning was the same, waking up and being reminded all over again that he was alone. He sighed and got out of bed, the desire to laze washed away with the renewed sense of loss. He found his shirt draped over a chair and pulled it back on. He hadn't bothered to undress last night except for taking his shirt off, leaving pants and socks on and his boots right next to the bed. Always at the ready in case... in case of anything really.

He ran a hand over his face as he went down the stairs. He wasn't surprised to see that Bobby was already up, pouring himself some coffee and a whiskey on the side.

"Hey," Sam scratched the back of his neck and yawned.

"Morning, sunshine. Want coffee?" Bobby offered and was already taking out another mug.

"Sure. Thanks." Sam gave him a little smile. He went over to the table and sat down, stirring the coffee around with a spoon.

"You know how to kill this thing?" Sam took a sip from his coffee before looking up at the old hunter.

"Well from what I have found out it's either stabbing it with something silver, like with shape shifters, or set it on fire. So we do both," Bobby confirmed and nodded sideways to where the front door was. It wasn't before then Sam noticed five Molotov cocktails and two long silver stakes on the kitchen counter.

"You know your stuff, Bobby," Sam said, impressed.

"I've known about the supernatural since your mother was a young girl," Bobby reminded him. Sam frowned a bit at that.

"I though you didn't start with hunting before you were old... older..." Sam flashed a quick smile at the little slip.

"I didn't, but I've known about it for most of my life. It wasn't before... well you know what happened to my wife already," Bobby's face fell a little and he felt more than a little relieved when Sam didn't ask for any more details about that horrible night. They sat in silence while drinking their coffee and somewhere along the way Sam started tapping his feet and looking around the room as if he hadn't been there before.

"Sam," Bobby grumbled trying to get his attention.

"Hmm?" Sam stopped the unconscious movement and looked up at him expectantly.

"I assume you're ready to go?" Bobby stood up with a smile on his lips. Sam nodded and got his jacket on in record time.

"Okay then. Let's roll." They picked up their equipments and went out to the cars.

"What are we waiting for?" Sam ran a hand down his face and yawned. They had used up the whole day looking for the creature without much luck and now it was getting dark. They had to be careful that passersby didn't see their weapons and ran off to tell the police, but it made tracking whatever this creature was even more difficult. When the whole day had passed without sign of anything unusual they decided to leave their improvised bombs in the cars.

"Bobby, we're wasting our time here. It could have been anything we saw today. We should have…"

"Since when did you start getting so eager to kill anything that moves?" Bobby asked, biting his bottom lip at the look on Sam's face. He knew just fine just when Sam's attitude had shifted.

"Look, Sam. We can't just torch a stray cat just because it might be the creature." Bobby took a good look at Sam from where he was sitting in the front seat of the Impala, the door left open so that he could jump out if needed. Sam sat in the back, resting his arm on the top of the seat and the car door open on his side.

"I don't want to torch random cats either and look what happens, but how are we supposed to figure out what is the creature and what's a real animal?" Sam rested is head on his other hand and closed his eyes.

"That might make things a little easier," Bobby whispered, nodding his head towards something. He carefully moved his hand towards the shotgun on the car seat next to him. He knew a shot wouldn't kill it, but it might keep it back long enough for them to run to the back of the car to get the kerosene-filled bottles. He silently cursed himself for being overcautious and not having the flammable bombs closer at hand.

Sam opened his eyes and started a bit when he saw a monkey sitting on the roof of a car on the other side of the parking lot.

"A monkey?" he snorted, but picked up his silver stake from the floor of the car. The creature seemed harmless enough right now, but Sam knew better. "You know how quickly it can change?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the creature.

"Nope," Bobby said shortly and quietly followed Sam. They silently agreed without words that Sam would go at the monkey while Bobby got the Molotovs. Suddenly the monkey screamed and jumped off the car roof. By the time it hit the ground it had transformed into a cougar.

"Sonofa-" Sam yelped in shock. "That was quick." He tightened his hold on the stake as the big cat crept closer to him, snarling in anger.

"Hurry, Bobby," Sam hissed.

"Be careful Sam," Bobby hissed back and he carefully started to open the trunk so that the creature wouldn't see him. "Don't make any sudden movements."

Sam sighed, but focused on the cougar again. "Come on, kitty. Fun time's over." Sam inched closer, raising the stake when creature changed into a bear.

"Oh wow," Sam stepped back a bit now. The bear was huge and Sam suddenly feared the silver stake wouldn't be enough.

"Sam! Get a move on would ya?" Bobby urged. Sam looked back at him, and Bobby knew that they were going to be in serious trouble. The bear saw the young man's attention turn from him and took sudden and violent advantage of Sam's momentary distraction. Bobby reacted quicker then the young Winchester when the bear charged .

"SAM!" Bobby grabbed Sam and they both hit the ground so hard their breath flew out of their lungs. The bear growled and ran around the Impala and out of sight for a moment.

"Hurry," Sam jumped up and ran across the parking lot, chasing after it.

"Hey freak! Come and get me!" Sam shouted towards the direction the creature had vanished. Bobby kept close to behind the open trunk, using the Impala to shield himself while Sam tried to get the creature's attention. Suddenly the creature came running out of the dark, past the Impala and Bobby and straight at Sam.

"A horse?" Sam was taken aback by the sight of the unexpected animal.

"I can't kill a horse!" he complained, but realized quickly that he had to do something as the big four legged creature ran him down. The horse hit his shoulder and Sam groaned in pain. Okay, so maybe it wasn't as intimidating as a bear, but a horse sure could certainly do damage too. Sam regained his focus as the horse charged again, but instead of running him down, it started to circle him.

"What's it doing?" Sam asked, trying to keep his attention on the creature. He shook his head when he started getting dizzy.

"SAM!" Bobby yelled horrified. It was suddenly clear to him what it was doing. It was confusing Sam and running in a too small circle for Sam to know when to back off. He grabbed the Molotovs and ran at the animal.

Sam stopped following the creature, his gaze shifting to Bobby for just a second. He quickly realized that the horse wasn't circling around him any longer, but he had left himself vulnerable just long enough for the creature to take advantage of his distraction. He felt a sharp blow to his chest that knocked the wind completely out of him. He gasped in pain, stars dancing across his eyes.

"No! Get out of there, Sam!"

Sam tried to focus his blurry vision at the two Bobby's just as everything went black.

Bobby froze when he saw one of the horse's hoofs kick Sam first in the chest and then to the side of his head. It felt as if it happened in slow motion. Sam's head snapped to the side before he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. The animal immediately changed into a bear again and Bobby didn't waste a second before lighting the rag and throwing the kerosene at it. The bottle hit the bear over the back, the dark fur quickly catching fire and the creature roared. Bobby noticed lights getting turned on in nearby houses and quickly picked up Sam's silver stake and ran up the bear, thrusting the weapon into the thick skin of his chest, impaling the heart. He figured the fire would probably be the thing to kill the creature, but he wasn't going to take any chances. The bear roared again and hurried into the dark only to collapse and die.

Bobby turned towards Sam again,

"God no," Bobby shoved the weapons under a parked car and ran to Sam. The young hunter lay sprawled on the ground, his mouth hang open limply as if silently screaming.

"Sam, please!" Bobby pleaed. For the first time in years, Bobby felt tears in his eyes. Too much blood was running from what he found out was a huge wound low on his head, just below the ear.

"Help! Somebody!" Bobby shouted as soon as he heard doors opening.

"Oh my god!" A young girl in her late teens gasped when she saw Sam. She picked up her mobile and pressed it to her ear. Bobby didn't listen to what was being said and focused fully on keeping Sam alive. His pulse was thready and his chest heaved as if desperately trying to get air in.

"What happened?" A man in his thirties knelt down on the other side of Sam. Bobby didn't answer, just pulling open Sam's jacket before ripping open his shirt.

"Shit!" Both Bobby and the strange man gasped at the blood and bruises on Sam's chest. The left side of his chest looked nearly caved in.

"The ambulance will be here in less then five minutes," the young girl explained, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Good. You did good, Sidney," the strange man spoke again. Still Bobby acted as if he was alone with Sam.

"Come on, Sam," he pulled a piece of cloth and pressed it against the bleeding wound, but he got no reaction out of Sam.

"They're coming," Sidney said pointlessly as the sirens from the ambulance interrupted the suddenly quiet evening. Bobby silently thanked whoever for the quick ambulance.

"Stay with us, Sam," Bobby warned as the ambulance came to stop in front of them. Two men came out from the front of the car and one from the back and before Bobby could even think to say anything, Sam was strapped to a backboard and being loaded into the ambulance.

"Sir. Sir? Are you family?" one of the ambulance personnel asked Bobby.

"Uh, yeah. I'm his uncle," he explained, just barely able to bring himself to talk.

"I will have to ask you to follow in another car if you want to come with us. We need room to work on the patient," the man explained. Bobby just nodded numbly and headed for the car, but just before the ambulance door closed he heard "We're losing him."

* * *

_"I thought you were better then this, Sammy?" _

_He would recognize that voice anywhere. Sam opened his eyes and it didn't take more then a few seconds before tears started to blur his already blurry vision. _

_"Dean," Sam sat up, finding that it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. He reached out for Dean and his hand connected with his brother's, but he didn't feel anything._

_"Hi, Sammy," Dean smiled brightly to his little brother, tightening his hold on the hand in his own. The hospital room was white and cold, but at least Sam had it to himself. _

_"Are you..." Sam started._

_"You're dreaming. You have been for quite a while now," Dean reached out a hand to carefully brush it against the open wound on Sam's head,_

_"I would say it's time to wake up, Sammy. I might not be here, but Bobby's ripping himself apart."_

_"What?" Sam had problems following what his sibling was saying. All he wanted to do was to look at his brother. Dream or not, it was the only way he would see his brother. He didn't care if he never woke up again, just so long as he could see Dean._

_"Sam, you have to wake up." _

_Sam closed his eyes, tears sliding down his cheeks. "I don't want to. There's no reason to," he whispered. He felt pressure on both sides of his face and opened his eyes. The fact that he couldn't really feel Dean made it just harder to take. The fact that it only felt like air pressing at his cheeks. It made it that much harder. _

_"There's a reason to. I'll see you again, Sammy," Dean promised with a sad smile._

_"That can be years before I die..." Sam shook his head, feeling pathetic, but not really caring._

_"You won't die. Not yet. But we'll meet again soon..." Dean insisted._

_"What...?"_

* * *

Sam gasped for air. Pain erupted through his chest and head, making it hard to breathe.

"Sam! Calm down. Calm down, damn it! Help!" There was another voice now and he could feel other hands on his shoulders. They weren't Dean's, but they were just as welcoming. Bobby...

"Can someone get in here, damn it!" the older hunter was yelling, Sam continued to wheeze around whatever was stuffed down his throat.

Dean! Dean... Sam tried so hard to hold onto the dream he had had, but the memories of it was being whisked away with the pain of real life. He had said something. Dean had told him something important. He just couldn't remember what!

Sam managed to force his eyes open to slits and noticed blurry motions moving around in front of him. The loud noises from the figures moving about him were starting to get drowned down by a loud beeping sound Sam was all too familiar with. His sight was turning white. He was going under again.

"It's okay, Sam. Sleep. Sle.." The strange voice urged gently, luring him back into unconsciousness.

When Sam woke again the room was dark and he was alone. He blinked and took a tentative breath. It was easier to breathe now. The tube down his throat was gone, replaced by a nasal canella, feeding him oxygen. He flexed his fingers and looked round the room as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He was alone and close to a big window. He frowned. He listened hard for noises and caught the sound of traffic somewhere beyond the window. In the hall outside his door, he could hear voices speaking softly and the tell-tale squeak of a nurse's rubber-soled shoes walking past his room. He knew quickly that he had to be in a hospital, which meant something had gone wrong with the hunt. Bobby would not have risked attracting attention if is injuries had not been serious.

He shifted a bit in bed and forced himself to open his eyes. His vision was clear this time.

"Did I fall asleep?" he mumbled to himself when his surroundings wasn't drowned in darkness.

"Sam? Are you awake? Thank god!"

Sam turned his head slowly and saw the biggest smile on Bobby's face ever that he could ever remember. Bobby got out of his chair by the window and grabbed hold of Sam's hand.

"I'm so glad to see you awake, you idjit." Bobby patted Sam on the arm, as if reassuring himself that Sam was actually there.

"How... wha... what happened?" Sam frowned when his head suddenly felt so heavy. He closed his eyes again, but felt Bobby tighten his hold on his arm, helping him to focus and stay awake.

"Don't you remember?" Bobby looked over his shoulder, making sure that they were alone before leaning in closer.

"We hunted that metamorphic animal. It kicked you in the head and chest. You've been..." Bobby's voice trailed off. Sam opened his eyes again.

"What? How long have I been here?" he asked and licked his lips. His throat was dry and very sore after having a tube shoved down it.

Bobby saw his discomfort and reached for a cup that had been sitting on the rolling table next to his bed.

"Here, take this," Bobby said, using the control to lift Sam's upper body a bit. He took a spoon and carefully fed Sam some of the ice chips the nurse brought for when he woke. Sam let the ice melt in his mouth before swallowing and it took a few spoonfuls before his throat began to feel better.

"You've been in coma for almost two weeks, kid," Bobby explained as put the remainder of the ice aside. "I've been so worried. I'm starting to feel how Dean did. You're such an accident prone." Bobby smiled sadly.

"Dean?" Sam's eyes lit up a bit. Bobby bit his lip as soon as Sam looked more aware.

"I'm sorry, Sam. He's still... not here," Bobby's heart broke a little when the hopeful look in Sam's face fell a bit. They didn't say anything for a long time and just listened to the sound of the hospital coming to life again. Sam sighed and thought of the dream he had. He remembered his brother's face, but he just couldn't recall what Dean had said to him.

"I dreamed of him," Sam whispered, hands suddenly searching for Dean's amulet he had kept around his neck. He began to panic when he couldn't find it. Bobby knew at once what he was looking for and started digging in the pocket on the inside of his jacket.

"Here. I took care of it for you," Bobby handed it to Sam and the young hunter visibly relaxed, clutching the amulet to his chest and closed his eyes.

"What did you dream of?" Bobby asked, sitting down in a chair.

"I dreamed Dean was here. He talked to me, but I don't remember what he said. He touched me, but... I couldn't really feel it... I... it felt so real though," Sam clutched the amulet even closer, tears leaking from his closed eyes.

"How is this supposed to get any better, Bobby? I need him," Sam struggled to keep from crying openly again. He felt Bobby take hold of his hand again.

"We'll get through this. Somehow. Okay? You still got me. We'll manage this together," Bobby promised. Sam just nodded again and closed his eyes. He already knew what he had to do though. The only thing he could do. Go after Lilith. Make her pay. He owed Dean at last that.

"Thank you," Sam mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Enjoy! Next one is going to be a bit... yeah, what can I say? Inspired from my trip to Ireland? lol


	12. Leprechaun Attack

Hi there! Again sorry for the slow update. I'm trying to find another beta reader to help Ravanne since she obviously do have a real life too, but I agree that things are going slow here and want to be able to post more often. It's surprisingly hard to get hold of any beta readers though even on the beta reader part of this site. Hmmm.

Anyway, new chapter up and this I was inspired to write after my trip to Irland hehe.

This is obviously before there's such a thing called Gabriel on the show. Oh Gabriel... *sniff*

_Kisses to my beta reader, **Ravanne**_

* * *

**L - Leprechaun Attack**

_- Set in early season 3_

"What..? Dean!" Sam jumped when he felt something pinch his butt. Sam stood face to face with his brother as soon as he turned around. Dean just grinned and lightly punched Sam's shoulder.

"Did you just pinch me?" Sam demanded. When Dean giggled, he frowned and rolled his eyes. His big brother was drunk. Or at least well on his way to being drunk.

"Yeah. You're not wearing green, Sammy." Dean grinned cheerfully and turned to look for his beer bottle somewhere in their motel room.

"So you pinch my ass for it, Dean? Really? I hate to break this to you, but I don't swing that way," Sam snorted as Dean uttered a small, but happy little "yay!" as he found his bottle.

"Cute, Sammy. Really cute." Dean seemed to sober up a bit. Maybe he wasn't as drunk as first expected, but sober? No way. He grinned stupidly and walked over to Sam again to pinch his arm, but Sam jumped back this time.

"For a geek you're a bit slow. It's St. Patrick's Day, Sammy!" Dean pointed to himself in the chest to prove that his shirt was green.

"I know that, but since when did we celebrate St. Patrick's Day?" Sam frowned and made sure he had his laptop with him. He nodded to himself before leaving the room, pulling his usual jacket with him.

"Since we entered a town full of Irish people," Dean explained as he followed his brother out.

"We're here on a case, Dean. Not to get drunk," Sam reminded his brother as he pulled on his jacket on and got an idea.

"And look. My jacket is green." Sam pointed out.

Dean squinted and leaned in closer as if he had never seen the jacket before.

"This doesn't count. It's almost brown-green," Dean insisted. He then suddenly seemed to realize that his brother was criticizing his work ethic.

"Hey I'm focusing on the case, Sammy! But while we're here, why not just enjoy ourselves a little too? Drink a few beers, beat a few Irish people in pool and bang a few girls?"

Sam stopped so suddenly that Dean walked right into his back,

"Bang a few girls? Could you be more of a slut?" His face broke into a smile though. He didn't say it in a hurtful way and his brother knew him enough to know that.

"I was thinking of you too you know. You might as well be a nun," Dean rubbed his nose from where he had hit Sam's rock hard back before taking a sip from his bottle and snickered,

"My little brother, the nun. Heh." He giggled, finding the thought absolutely hysterical.

Sam sighed loudly and dragged his brother over to a little cafe beside the street, decorated, of course, in green.

* * *

"So… What's the monster of the week?" Dean took a huge bite from his burger. Sam closed his laptop with a heavy sigh. He sunk further into the seat and rested his head back, looking up at the ceiling.

"Sam?" Dean frowned curiously at his little brother.

"I think we're dealing with an old friend of ours," Sam sighed loudly.

"Uh. Who?" Dean put down his burger now and tried to focus on what Sam was talking about.

"Dean, who else could it be? Reports about people being attacked by small men in green, in a town celebrating St. Patrick's Day wholeheartedly? And…" Sam paused dramatically,

"Where all the victims happened to be assholes."

Dean's expression immediately became more serious.

"Trickster?" he asked and Sam just nodded.

"But we killed him."

"Maybe we didn't? Or maybe there's more then one?" Sam guessed.

"So he sends leprechauns after people now?" Dean laughed and picked up his burger again. "Gotta give him credit. He's entertaining."

"Deeeean..." Sam whined and sat up again.

"Okay fine, grumpy. How do we... uh… find him?" Dean wondered, turning his attention back to his burger.

"I have an idea. Not long ago an old lady moved into a house in the forest. Just a few days in the new house and people were calling her the Candy Lady. A sweet tooth. Kids goes to her to get free candy." Sam chucked at the thought.

"What?" Dean asked confused.

"That's just too obvious to be the Trickster, right?" Sam scratched the back of his neck, considering all of the information they'd been able to dig up. Dean sat quietly, chewing thoughtfully.

"Okay, well, maybe that's what the Trickster wants us to think. That it's too obvious to be him... but then it IS him!" Dean smiled proudly at his suggestion. Sam opened his mouth to answer that, but found that he didn't really have an answer.

"You just had to make this harder then it already was, didn't you?" Sam demanded. Dean shrugged his shoulders and finished the burger.

"Yeah well. Let's check out this Candy Woman."

* * *

"Knock, knock!" Dean grinned at his childishness and straightened up. They were standing outside the pretty little house in the forest, waiting for the Candy Woman to open up.

"Who's there?" A cheery woman's voice sang on the other side of the door. Sam and Dean frowned at each other before shrugging.

"Uh. Dean, ma'am," Dean grimaced, but the door opened and a kind looking woman looked up at them.

"Dean who?" she asked, looking up at him curiously.

"Dean Winchester. This is my brother, Sam," Dean pointed at his brother beside him. "But I bet you already know that don't you?" His expression suddenly turned serious, but the old woman's face didn't waver.

"I know now that you told me!" she laughed merrily and Sam laughed falsely once, grimacing.

"What can I help you sweet boys with?" she stepped back from the door to let them in.

"Uh. We were just checking in to see how you are. There's been reports about attacks around in town and since you live a bit on your own we thought we should check on you," Sam explained, mentally kicking himself for that stupid cover.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you. But isn't that police work?" she asked curiously while trotting around the kitchen.

"Uhm. Yeah," Dean looked at Sam for help. Sam kicked him in the leg.

"That's what you get for blowing our cover before 'hello'" Sam whispered. Dean glared at him, but turned towards the older woman again.

"Yeah, it is, but our... uncle. Yeah, uncle, he's the sheriff in town. He sent us because he's busy today," Dean smacked Sam over the back of his head when his little brother snorted. This was getting worse and worse.

"Sheriff Hedlund is your uncle?" the woman stopped and looked at them. "I thought he was in Europe?"

It was Sam's turn to speak up again,

"Yeah. That's why he's... busy," he answered weakly, ignoring Dean's snickering. The old woman just accepted their story and continued around the room.

"You want some candy? I got all kinds. My caramel fudge is the most popular of my recipes," she explained and came back over to them with a small flowery basket filled with the candy. Dean happily took the basket with a bright smile, ignoring Sam's glare.

"So, we heard you moved in here not long ago?" Sam asked while Dean was busy stuffing candy into his mouth, chewing happily on the caramel fudge.

"Yes, yes. About three weeks ago. So many lovely children around here. Makes the candy business so much easier," she explained with a smile as she rummaged through her cupboards to start a new batch of candy.

"You haven't seen anything weird around here have you?" Sam leaned against a window still while the older woman kept fussing around the kitchen.

"Hmm," she stopped up and turned to the taller of the two.

"Well. I don't think it's anything for the police, but the other day I had a visit by a small group of kids, maybe eight of them and there was this one nasty little boy among them. He kept teasing this cute little girl with ponytails..." Sam tilted his head a bit at that.

"But it's not unusual that kids teases each other," he explained.

"Oh I know that, silly," she answered, smiling tolerantly.

"But once they were leaving there was this small green clothed man waiting for them outside," she said and that made Dean pause in his chewing.

"Most of the kids just waved to the little man, but the nasty little one stopped in front of him and made fun of his height. Then the little man slapped him across the face before running off extremely fast. It was quite a curious sight." The old woman stood quietly for a moment, thinking, before turning her attention back to work.

"He slapped the kid?" Dean laughed around the candy in his mouth.

"Dean!" Sam elbowed his brother in the side before smiling innocently to the old woman.

"So you have no idea where the little man went?" he asked, hoping she had something or else they would be right back at nothing.

"Well he ran in the direction of the town, but other then that.. I'm sorry. I just don't know. You don't think that little thing is behind the attacks do you?" The woman turned around to them when she finished what she had been working on and came over to them.

"We're just trying to find the guilty one, ma'am. Which means anyone's a suspect," Sam answered professionally and sighed in relief when Dean took a break from eating candy to smile in agreement.

"Well then, I will let you know if more strange things happens. Meanwhile, why don't you take this with you and have a great St. Patrick's Day?" The woman led them out of the house again and Dean smiled brightly when he saw the offering. The woman held another basket in her hand, a little bigger now and decorated with pretty green colors and Irish flag. The basket of course was filled with more candy of different colors.

"That's really not necessary," Sam said, but was cut off by his brother.

"Don't be rude, Sammy. Of course it's necessary," Dean took the offered basket with a huge, child-like grin. They said their goodbyes and soon they were on their way back to the town.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Sam snorted, looking fondly over at his big brother as he dug through the basket.

"Aw don't be such a health freak, Sammy. Doesn't suit you. Taste this." Dean picked up a caramel fudge and held it towards Sam's face. When Sam turned his head away Dean kept pressing it towards him, only causing his little brother to burst out laughing.

"Dean! Are you still drunk?" He batted Dean's hands away, but without much luck. Dean was getting that candy down his brother throat even if it meant loosing a finger or two.

"Nope. Just sugar high. Come on, cupcake," he joked and grabbed Sam's chin in a swift motion and stuffed the fudge into his mouth.

"There you go, kiddo," Dean laughed at Sam's glare, but Sam chewed.

"Hmm... Not bad," Sam admitted and received a pat on his back by his brother.

* * *

The same evening came and the boys were still having problems finding the Trickster and people were still being attacked. Two people had been killed so far, one man had been badly hurt and some mean kids gotten their asses whooped.

"At least he doesn't kill the kids," Sam shrugged, trying to see the positive in the slow hunt. They had, much to Dean's joy, decided to relax that evening and celebrate St. Patrick's Day. They spent the evening in a local pub, ran a few small cons to replenish their finances and kiss a few girls. At least Dean enjoyed the girls. Sam was too annoyed with the hunt to fully enjoy himself. The clock had passed well past midnight when Sam went over to Dean and pulled his inebriated brother with him back to the motel.

"At least he doesn't kill hot chicks," Dean added and buried his head in Sam's upper arm. His arm was thrown across Sam's tall shoulders, which was another obvious sign that Dean was drunk. When Dean was drunk, he lost all reservations when it came to personal space.

"Yeah, well..." Sam's voice trailed off as he stopped on the sidewalk when he noticed a little man in full leprechaun costume. Dean lifted his head to see why Sam had stopped and a smile that would have at home on the Cheshire Cat spread across his face when he saw the little man.

"Oh! Leprechaun!" He tugged at Sam's arm and started walking clumsily towards the green clothed man, pointing excitedly. Sam made sure one of his hunting knives was still in his belt as they got closer. He wasn't prepared for Dean jumping on the little man though.

"Dean!" Sam yelled when his big brother picked the little man off the ground.

"Hey, Sammy! I caught a leprechaun!" Dean smiled happily again as he held the little man in his hands, holding him out at arms distance.

"Show me your pot of gold!" Dean told the man eagerly, but only led the guy into a tantrum.

"Lemmedownyoufriggin'sonovabitch!" The man's voice was strangely high pitched and his screaming insults pierced their ears. Sam held his hands over his ears and kicked Dean lightly in the shin.

"Let go of him, Dean!" he shouted and Dean did as he was told, dropping the little man to the ground.

"Fine! But gimme your gol…" Before Dean could finish the sentence the little man was off running into the forest. The two brothers stood gaping stupidly after the man.

"So... you think that... that was a real leprechaun?" Dean scratched the back of his neck and looked up at Sam.

"Uh... I think it's Trickster real," Sam mumbled, taking notice of the direction the leprechaun had run.

"Trickster real... you're funny," Dean snickered and Sam rolled his eyes. He couldn't help but smile just a little though. They didn't get to have many lighthearted moments. While for Sam this wasn't exactly carefree, but Dean was relaxed and happy. Dean's deal was still almost a year away, but it was always on their minds and it was the only reason he was willing to endure with some of Dean's "fun nights."

"You saw where the leprechaun ran?" Sam asked as Dean again threw his arm around Sam's neck, forcing the tall little brother to bend down.

"Yeah man. Into the forest," Dean said dramatically, pointing.

"Yeah, back towards the old woman's house. She has to have something to do with this." Dean didn't answer this time, just nodded his head.

"Let's get you some coffee and sober you up. I'm not going on a hunt with a drunk," Sam mumbled and pulled his brother with him to their room.

* * *

It was nearly three in the morning when Sam finally decided that it was time to check out the old lady's house again, sober or not. Dean was definitely not sober. His inappropriate sense of humor was still there, but he was clearer in the head and didn't need to be supported to walk.

"Remember Dean. Don't chase the leprechaun for gold okay?" Sam told Dean for the third time as they saw the old woman's house between the trees.

"Shut up, Sam. I'm not stupid," Dean grumbled, not hiding his annoyance and held his gun ready in one hand and a wooden stake in the other.

"Could have fooled me," Sam smirked.

"So... what exactly are we supposed to do, genius?" Dean demanded. "We can't just run into the house and stake the woman hoping for it to be the Trickster."

Sam wasn't sure himself.

"Let's just find the leprechaun and..." They stopped dead at the sight in front of them. At least twenty little leprechauns was sitting on the porch of the house and in a rocking chair sat a woman. The woman had the same clothes as the old woman they had met earlier, but this one was young and beautiful.

"Oh yeah. The dude got style," Dean smiled when he saw the sexy woman.

"Dean, he's a bad guy. Stop liking him." Sam walked closer to the house, Dean following behind.

"Hello again sweeties. Here for more candy?" the young woman smiled.

"I see you've had one hell of a face lift," Sam nodded at her, but kept an eye on the grumpy looking leprechauns.

"Why thank you. It's easier to keep up with the little men this way." She patted one leprechaun on the head and stood up.

"You're not real," Sam tightened his hold on his stake and moved closer. He wasn't sure whether the woman was one of the Trickster's illusions or the Trickster himself.

"True. So none of that is going to work on me." She pointed at their weapons with a long, slender finger before heading back into the house.

"I'm not going to take your word for it!" Dean butted in and ran into the house, past the leprechauns. Sam wasn't prepared Dean's recklessness and was left behind to face all the leprechauns on his own.

"Damnit!" He backed away a little when one of the leprechauns ran at him. Sam quickly held out his gun and shot at the thing, but it only vanished into thin air. They weren't real either. He heard crashing sounds from inside the house and charged past the angry little men. He couldn't quite catch what they were saying, only bits of swearing that would make a sailor blush.

"Dean!" Sam kicked a leprechaun as he reached the porch, but felt many small hands grab his other leg, pulling him to the ground. He hit his head on the side of the porch and groaned in pain. The leprechauns were over him in seconds and felt pain erupt from multiple places on his body. Suddenly he heard gunshots and he opened his eyes to see one little man after the other vanish as Dean's bullets shot through them.

"Come on!" Dean stumbled a bit as he helped Sam up and into the house. They shut the door after them just in time before the leprechauns were able to regroup. Their angry, high pitched screaming rose as they banged at the doors and windows.

"Man, I'm not sober enough for this," Dean complained, rubbing his forehead.

"That's what happens when you get drunk on a hunt," Sam said smugly, feeling his own forehead. Blood was running from just below his hairline.

"Oh shut up. How should I know we would get surrounded by angry little men?" Dean complained.

"Where did the woman go?" Sam looked around the little kitchen, but found nothing there.

"She vanished when I tried to stake her. So, she was not the Trickster..." Dean looked up at the ceiling when they heard small feet running on the roof.

"Is there a fireplace here?" Sam wondered and got his answer just as a bunch of leprechauns came down the chimney. The brothers cursed in unison and started firing off the guns again, but it didn't take long before they were overrun.

"Dean! We got to get out of he-" Sam suddenly felt himself being thrown through the air and right into the stone duct coming down from the ceiling. He hit hard and landed on the floor where he lay unmoving.

"DAMNIT! TRICKSTER!!!" Dean shouted in anger over all the little men. Suddenly the leprechauns stopped and Dean froze too. He looked down at the staring men with green clothing and red beards, then over to his brother lying face down on the floor.

"Ho ho ho, you guys never disappoint do you?" Dean turned around and finally faced what they had been hunting for. The Trickster.

"I was wondering when you were going to come out of your hiding place," Dean eyed the little leprechauns, but they were gone as soon as he heard the Trickster snap his fingers. That was all he needed so he could check on his brother. He knelt down beside Sam and rested one hand on the back of his neck while pressing two other fingers to his pulse. He brushed some of Sam's hair away from his face to check his pupils. He sighed in relief when he saw that Sam had been knocked out, but didn't seem badly hurt.

"Oh chill. He'll be fine." The Trickster waved his arm and snorted.

"What do you want?" Dean looked up at the smaller man, the same guy they had met back at that university campus where the Trickster had brought out alligators in the sewers, aliens and sexy imaginary women. "I thought we killed you."

The Trickster just shrugged and picked up a caramel fudge from the table.

"Nah, I tricked you. I am a Trickster after all."

Sam groaned beneath Dean's hand, but Dean kept his hand pressed against his shoulder blades to keep him down till he had cleared his head.

"Isn't it obvious what I want? What I always do, hot shots! Giving people their just deserts!" The Trickster took a bite of the fudge and made an impressed expression,

"Mm these are good."

"You had a leprechaun bitchslap a kid!" Dean glared at the Trickster.

"That was one nasty little kid. He got what was coming for him," he explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You can't just..." Sam whimpered a bit as he sat up, leaning against Dean. "... kill people like that."

The Trickster grimaced before laughing.

"Nice to see you again too, sleepyhead. Who are you anyway, my mother?" He lifted himself onto the counter and sat there, swinging his legs.

"Dude, I like your style and all, but who the hell gives you the right to be a dick?" Dean looked from the Trickster to his brother resting against him, pulling his arm around his brother before looking up again.

"Who gives you the right? Look, guys. I'm not here to kill you and you won't kill me because, let's be honest… I'm too smart for you. I'm done here anyway. Got some assholes off the map, slapped a few rugrats, messed with the Winchesters. I'm more then satisfied," the Trickster laughed again and came closer to them.

"And you let leprechauns out of the bag? Really?" Dean rolled his eyes, but straightened up in a defensive position when the Trickster came to a stop in front of them.

"Yeah well. I like trying out new things and you have no idea how much fun it is to see small men having hissy fits," the Trickster explained,

"Now… I'll bid you two goodbye for now. I'll be seeing you chuckleheads around," the Trickster snapped his fingers and the next thing they know they're back in their hotel room.

"Sam?" Dean was up from the floor in seconds only to find his brother sitting on the floor leaning against one of the beds,

"You okay?" He checked his brother over, paying special attention to his pupils and pulse.

"Splendid," Sam smiled without it reaching his eyes, only to frown when his the pain in his head became too severe to ignore.

"Splendid? I guess that answers it," Dean sighed and then noticed holes in Sam's shirt. He carefully removed the button down shirt and the undershirt and noticed bite marks.

"They bit you?" he snorted as he saw several wounds across his brother's chest. Sam just nodded without a word.

"Kinky little bastards," Dean snickered and hurried over to the bathroom. He found a small towel and dipped it in water before returning to Sam's side,

"So. Who's best at giving hickeys? Women or leprechauns?" Dean joked and laughed when Sam snorted. He patted the towel against the small wounds. They would probably sting a while, but they didn't seem too bad. Most of them barely broke the skin. It was the wound on Sam's forehead that looked the worse.

"You're hopeless," Sam nudged Dean in the shoulder.

"You've already said that," Dean reminded him.

"Doesn't make it less true," Sam leaned his head back against the bed and closed his eyes.

"You okay?" Sam asked quietly and opened his eyes again to meet his brother's eyes. Dean knew his brother was asking if he was okay after the leprechaun attack, but wondered if he meant more by it.

"I'm good. Considering," Dean answered quietly and sat down beside Sam and leaned his head back too,

"We should probably get into bed."

"We should," Sam agreed, but didn't move a muscle.

"It can wait," Dean sighed and stretched his arm over to the other bed and pulled the blanket and pillows off and down to them,

"When you were too young to remember, we used to pull the blankets off the bed in the motel we were in and hide under them on the floor," Dean explained and laid himself down on the thick blanket. Sam slowly sank down to the floor too, looking at Dean.

"Why?" he frowned a little, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips.

"I dunno, because we're weird? Neh, I used to tell you ghost stories I heard and we would be safe under the blanket because what we couldn't see couldn't hurt us. Of course that's just bullshit, but we were kids and kids are stupid," Dean grinned when Sam smiled widely.

"It's nice though," Sam mumbled tiredly.

"Mhm," Dean agreed.

* * *

Kripke is evil. Seriously. The Trickster/Gabriel was my favorite character besides Sam and Dean despite only being in four episodes. Oh man oh man how that episode broke my heart! So this is my little tribute to him!

Hope you enjoyed it and leave me a message! =D


	13. Mown Down

New, weird chapter up. Warning: Ruby and no Dean lol. As a passionate Ruby hater, I think I was surprisngly nice to her here haha. Sliiiiightly sexual content. No biggie.

Kinda hate not writing Dean, I mean duuuh, whats the best thing beside limp!Sam? Pro!Dean! But ah well. Don't want to get boring.

_Again kudos to my lovely beta reader, **Ravanne!**_

* * *

**M - Mown down**

_Set: Sometime during Dean's stay in Hell_

Ruby followed Sam as quickly as her smaller stature could manage down the quiet road, huffing in annoyance over the Winchester's stubbornness.

"Sam, can you please slow down? You can't go after Lilith now!" Ruby's long black hair flapped over her shoulder as she rushed in front of Sam, forcing him to stop.

"Remember how it went last time?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him.

"Yeah I finally managed to exorcise a demon with my powers," Sam argued. He was obviously tired, but looked far better than he had in weeks. He had started laying off the alcohol, and found a motel with working showers.

Despite all her best intentions, Ruby was starting to intentionally get physically closer to him. Sure she had already tricked him into sex once, but that was really just to get her on his good side. Now though she was starting to feel something for him. She had refused to admit that herself for a long time and she was going to keep refusing it to anyone who would claim otherwise.

"Uh yeah, but Lilith wasn't there and we both almost got killed because of your recklessness." She physically stopped him when he tried to walk past her again.

"Oh, that's funny. A demon talking to me about recklessness. Why do you care?" Sam took hold of her small shoulders and pushed her lightly to the side.

"Sam! Damn it… Lilith fixed that set up. She knew you were coming. You gotta be smarter about this!" Ruby slipped in front of Sam again when he came to the Impala,

"Come on, Sammy. You thrust me, don't you? You know now that I don't want to hurt you."

Ruby gave Sam a crooked smile and lifted her hand and ran it down the side of his neck. Her smile widened when his stance marginally relaxed. She continued to stroke his jaw with a thumb and carefully leaned closer to kiss him, but then he turned away and coughed. The demon drew back, feeling vaguely insulted.

"Okay, Ruby. Fine. Whatever you say." He looked around and saw a small convenience store on the other side of the road.

"I need some food. Why don't you just go back to the motel... or, whatever." He started walking, but didn't notice until he was inside the store that Ruby had followed him. He glared at her, annoyed that she had followed him.

"What? I want food too," Ruby insisted, shrugging off his annoyance and strolled around. Sam wanted to say something, but decided that it wasn't worth raising an argument in public over. He picked up some bottles of soda and some food out of the refrigerator case to have back at the motel.

"You're gonna rent a chick flick too?" Ruby snickered. She picked the wrapper off a liquorice stick and stuffed it in her mouth. Sam just glared at her again before continuing walking through the stores. "Maybe later we can braid each other's hair."

"You can be a real bitch sometimes, you know," Sam mumbled, but Ruby heard him just fine.

"Poor baby. I'll make it up to you." She leaned up and whispered in his ear, her breath brushing against his skin.

"Oh! French fries," Ruby grinned and picked up a bag of frozen french fries.

"You can't buy them. They're frozen," Sam mumbled and went to the cashier with his purchases in hand.

"I can see that, Einstein." She grinned, but didn't put the bag back.

"I'll find a way." And with that she vanished. Sam looked over his shoulder where she had been standing, but she was gone. He still wasn't used to her just vanishing like that. And t was another uncomfortable reminder of what she really was.

Sam headed out of the store and looked around for Ruby. He knew she was fully capable of getting back to the motel herself. She could steal a car, or just transport herself if she chose. He wouldn't let her into the Impala, though. Sam knew how much Dean would hate that. It was probably just an over sentimental response from him, but he couldn't help it. The Impala was Dean's and it just didn't feel right having Ruby even touch Dean's car. He was already regretting that he had broken his big brother's dying wish and the least he could do was to keep demons out of the Impala.

Sam was very confused when it came to Ruby. When he had first met her she was all smartass and tough, possessing a pretty blond woman. Now she was borrowing the body some brain dead, dark haired girl and way more flirty then he ever remembered her being. She still had the bitchy attitude going on, but the Ruby he first got to know would never be so eager to get him in bed. Her flirting had become much more overt and much less subtle. Sam had made that mistake once already. He wasn't going to make that same error of judgment a second time.

When Ruby didn't immediately return from wherever she vanished to, Sam decided to return to the motel without her.

"Sam!" As Sam headed across the road he heard Ruby call for him and looked back over his shoulder. He saw her following him with a proud smile on her face.

"I got fried french fries!" she laughed and Sam couldn't help but smile at her. She seemed so genuinely happy standing there, clutching her steaming bag of treats. She was about to lock arm with him when both were interrupted by the sound of screeching tires coming towards them.

Sam reacted on instinct and grabbed Ruby around the waist just as he felt the front of a car hit the back of his legs. The force knocked him off his feet and onto the hood of the car where he smashed into the windshield rolling to the ground. The whole time he held onto Ruby, protecting her from the impact. He hit the asphalt hard, Ruby falling out of his arms and landed on her side while Sam tried to curl in on himself to lessen the injury. His head hit the asphalt, scraping the side of his face.

"Hey!" Ruby stood up and shouted after the car that raced off again. There wasn't anyone around either to stop him or see what happened, but she was able to get a good look at his license plate. She would deal with the driver of that car later.

"Sam!" She knelt by Sam and tapped his cheeks trying to get his attention focused on her. He was awake, but didn't seem aware of her. She quickly checked him over for injury and by the time she was done, the immediate shock seemed to have worn off and he was looking at her.

"Hey, Sam. I think I might need to call for ambulance," Ruby explained, leaning over him and stroke his cheek.

"You seem to have avoided any broken bones, but you don't look too good..." She didn't know how much Sam was understanding of what she was saying, but he seemed to get enough to shake his head slowly.

"N…No. I'm fine," He tried to sit up, but gasped at the sharp pain that shot up through his chest. It caused him to fall back, his eyes rolling back in his head.

"That does it," Ruby wasn't used to situations like this, but Sam was her responsibility and if it was hospital he needed then it was hospital he would get. She couldn't risk trying to heal him herself and call attention to them. All she needed was for the doctors to check him out and get whatever urgent treatment he required, then she could sneak him out. She could take care of Sam.

Decision made, she reached into her pocket for her phone and called for ambulance.

"Hey, Sam. They're on their way," Ruby whispered and sat down by Sam's head and moved it onto her lap. She stoked his hair, her fingers tracing gently around the deep scrapes on his face.

"What happened here?" A man came out of the store they had just been in, rushing over to them.

Took him long enough, Ruby thought silently as the stranger knelt over Sam to check him out.

"You better call ambulance," the man looked up at Ruby as if he was in charge and she just managed to keep herself from snorting.

"You know what, short bus?" she snapped, tightening her hold on Sam when he leaned too close. The sight of someone else trying to touch him dragged every protective instinct she had in her to the fore. "If you weren't too busy minding your own business, you would have noticed the hit and run five minutes earlier and that I already called the ambulance." The man just stared at her, surprised by her outburst.

"Geez, I'm sorry. I was just trying to help!" He sat back a bit, making sure to keep a bit of distance between himself and Sam. The injured man was trying hard to keep his attention focused on what was going on around him.

"Well he don't nee…"

"Ruby!" Sam groaned, when she continued bickering. It was all it took though. She glared dangerously at the man, but kept her mouth shut.

"Here, keep this against the head wounds." The man offered Ruby a wad of paper towels and she took it with a curt nod.

"I think I hear the sirens," he reassured Sam before standing up and backing away.

"I'll go and make sure they see you."

Ruby rolled her eyes, but thanked silently to whoever was listening that he left them. She turned her attention back to Sam and carefully pressed the paper towel to the ugly, bleeding wounds on the side of his face.

"It's going to be fine, Sam," she reassured him as he closed his eyes; pained lines furrowing his forehead and his breath wheezing harshly.

* * *

They were lucky that Sam had escaped without serious injury, Ruby knew. She should probably not have moved him from the hospital just a day after the accident, but she knew she could care for him during the rest of his recovery. Sam had suffered a few broken ribs, a busted arm and a concussion. His face was heavily bruised and scabbed, but the injuries there were all superficial. He was still pretty groggy from the drugs the hospital had pumped into him before she managed to sneak him out.

While Sam had been i the hospital Ruby had sought out the driver of the car and taken care of him. She left his body where he would be found for months, leaning over steering wheel with a slit throat. She didn't need to keep up appearances quite so much when Sam wasn't around, but she wouldn't let some random hillbilly ruin everything she had worked for. Besides, Sam would never find out anyway.

"Sam? You awake?" Ruby poked the side of Sam's face carefully. She had brought Sam back to the motel almost a day ago, but Sam had been sleeping for most of it.

"Hm?" Sam moaned when he grimaced, stretching the wounds on his face. He opened his eyes more to take in his surroundings.

"How... how did we get here?" He sat up carefully, mindful of the protective bandage around his ribs.

"I drove, hot shot." Ruby stood up and stretched her borrowed body.

"Don't worry. Not the Impala," she assured at the look of horror on Sam's face. She knew very well why Sam didn't want her near his brother's car.

"How are you feeling?" she asked seriously while stripping off her pants, leaving her black tank top and a tight sitting shorts.

"Been better," Sam sighed and laid down again as Ruby climbed in beside him in the bed. He tried to ignore how close she was to him. "What happened?"

"That's like the third time you've asked what happened," Ruby snickered and laid down sideways, resting her head in her hand.

"Some idiot mowed us down and drove off. Another idiot called Sam Winchester threw himself in front of it to save me, who - by the way would have gotten out of that accident far better then you." Ruby wasn't angry, not at Sam. Far from actually. She smirked and stroke his cheek.

Sam closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the soothing sensation. Although Ruby was being careful, for a demon anyway, it never felt right. It was one thing having a girl taking care of you, Jessica was like the kindest,. and sexiest, nurse ever when he got sick back at Stanford. But she was human. No matter how much he trusted Ruby, she would never be human and the body she was in wasn't hers. It didn't really help that the soul of the girl that used to be there was gone. He was ashamed of himself for letting Ruby take advantage of him, but he couldn't just blame her. He hadn't stopped her. It shouldn't have happened the first time, but he wouldn't let it happen again. She tried, but never got any further than she was right now and she actually seemed fine with it.

He remember waking up some hours prior with Ruby taking care of some wounds on his head and she had been gentle. But she wasn't Jess and she certainly wasn't Dean. Ruby would mutter some random smartass lines about the hit and run driver and what she was going to do when she got her hands on him. Dean would always mumble about memories they shared to calm him down. With Dean, Sam knew that he could always let his guard down completely, knowing that his brother was there to keep him safe. No matter how careful Ruby was, she would never take Dean's place.

"I know you're not a huge fan of drinking demon blood, but..."

"No," Sam interrupted Ruby's quiet voice.

"It'll make you feel better, Sam," she insisted, running two fingers over his forehead. He opened his eyes and stared her in the eyes.

"No."

Sam ended the conversation with that and closed his eyes again.

Some minutes passed quietly before he felt a soft kiss on his cheek, followed by another one on corner of his lips. He made a sound of protest, but Ruby just turned his head towards her with one hand on his scratched up cheek, kissing his lips.

"Don't worry, hotshot. I'm not an idiot. I'm not going to do anything that'll hurt you." she smiled against his lips and patted his bandaged chest softly. She had no intention on having sex with him right then and stayed on her side beside him. She pulled all her hair over one shoulder before looking Sam in the eye.

"Thank you," she said honestly.

"For what?" he automatically closed his eyes when she leaned over to kiss him again. He kissed her slowly back, but let his hands rest on his chest. She smiled again for the obvious answer to the question he asked. She was very thankful for what he had done for her. He had proved the other night no matter how he might protest otherwise, he trusted her and had been willing to jump in front of a car for her. Sure he will be angry when he learns that she was using him, but Ruby was more sure then ever that by the time they're ready to check Lucifer out of Hell, Sam will be firmly on her side. Once the final seal was broken, Sam would forget about any misgivings he may have had and embrace what he was meant to be. And she would happily remain at his side.

She ran her hand through his dark hair and tugged his head back over the pillow to kiss his neck. He sighed contentedly as he leaned his head to the side into Ruby's hand. Ruby felt encouraged and kissed more eagerly up his neck, lightly biting his ear lobe before running her lips over his cheek. It wasn't before she kissed his lips again that she realized he had fallen asleep, his head heavy in her hand.

"Oh Sam," she snickered and planted a final kiss on his lips before settling down beside him. She didn't really need to sleep, but he wasn't going anywhere so right now there was no better place to be.

* * *

_How was that? So I was playing off the idea Genevieve came with that Ruby might actually be falling in love with Sam. I hated Ruby with passion, but it's a little more fun writing a bad character with a weakspot for the good guy. Hope she was still somewhat in character with the s4 Ruby._


	14. Nosebleed

Yo! New chapter up. Wanted to post a new one before leaving for Asylum 4 (jippi!).

So last chapter wasn't a big hit. Hopefully this will taste a little better with some hot limp!Sam haha (coughs checkmyicononmyprofile cough) hehe

**Thanks to beta checker,_ Ravanne_ as usual! **

**

* * *

**

**N - Nosebleed**

_- Set to "The Real Ghostbusters"_

_Not again._ Dean could only watch as Sam was thrown through the air by the ghost of Leticia Gore. He had watched his brother get hurt one time too many. He heard the two wannabe Winchesters screaming and Dean knew what he _had_ to do despite what he _wanted_ to do. He threw Sam a second glance, seeing his brother sprawled out on the grass; he wasn't moving.

"Damn it!" He covered the bones with salt before jumping out of the grave after dropping a match down in it. The ghost screamed like they always do as she dissolved in a flash of fire. Dean turned his head and was relieved to see the two idiots were still alive.

"You believe us now?" Dean snapped at to the two guys who kept gasping for air like freshly reeled in fish. Satisfied that they were okay, Dean turned back to where Sam had fallen and rushed over to him. His little brother was lying sprawled out his full body length, his arms over his head and legs akimbo after the harsh landing.

"Sam?" Dean crawled the short distance and dropped down beside Sam and leaned over him.

"The ghost is gone now, Sammy," he said gently, tapping Sam's cheek and he immediately got a reaction.

"Knew you were faking it," Dean joked as Sam groaned and pulled a hand down to press at his head.

"Shut up," Sam mumbled and winced. He sat up in the grass, feeling Dean's arm around his back to support him.

"How are Laurel and Hardy?" Sam joked, but not even a hint of a smile reached his lips. Dean looked up to see the two guys fitting that description perfectly.

"You guys okay?" Dean asked them and Sam turned to look over his shoulder, a frown on his face.

"Uh… No, not really" the skinny one said, scratching the back of his head. The boisterous guy nudged his friend in the side with a grimace.

"Better then him I guess." The bigger one gestured at Sam, who was rubbing the back of his head. "He doesn't look too good."

"Did you hit your head on a tombstone, or something?" Dean asked Sam. He hadn't thought about that and turned his focus back to Sam when his little brother tried to stand. It wasn't before then he noticed the blood dripping from both nostrils.

"Ah damn it. You know red looks good on you as long as it's not coming out of you," Dean joked and put a hand behind Sam's neck while fishing up his flashlight from his back pocket. He hoped that his light tone would put Sam at ease, because getting himself upset would not help his little brother one bit.

"Hold still," Dean ordered gently, as he flashed the light at Sam's eyes to check his reaction. He tightened his hold around his brother's neck when Sam flinched away from the light.

"Damn it," Dean pocketed the flashlight again when he'd come to the conclusion that Sam had a concussion. Hopefully the nosebleed didn't hint at a more serious head injury.

"Take this." He fished out a handkerchief from Sam's own pocket and pressed it against Sam's nose. Dean made sure his brother was holding the cloth to his nose before starting to walk back to the hotel, supporting Sam and helping to steer him in the right direction. Dean barely looked up at the other two men, not wanting to see the concerned and sympathetic expression on their faces. He focused on keeping Sam moving, his arm around Sam's waist to help him along.

Dean was grateful that the hotel was so close to the cemetery. By the time they had reached the hotel lobby, Sam was almost walking blindly and was having problems keeping his hand over the bloody nose. The biggest of the two wannabe's walked in front of them like some bodyguard, clearing the path before them. Usually that would annoy Dean, but right then he was grateful to have some to keep people out of Sam's way.

"Thanks, guys. I can take it from here." Dean dragged Sam with him into the elevator and pushed a button before either of the other young men had a chance to follow.

When they finally reached their room, Sam started to move towards his bed, but was pulled towards the bathroom instead.

"Oh come on! it's just nosebleed," Sam groaned as his brother wrestled him through the bathroom door and pushed him gently down onto the toilet seat. "Just let me get some rest. I'll be fine."

"It can be a sign of internal bleeding, Sammy. You know that." Dean pulled off Sam's jacket and tossed it onto the nearest bed. He looked down at his miserable looking brother.

"Make you a deal… If you do turn out to be fine, I will let you get to sleep while I take care of some business."

Sam frowned at that,

"What business? We finished the job." Sam let his head dip forward when Dean ran a careful hand through his hair, combing his hair away for his close inspection.

"I don't know her real name, Sammy," Dean snickered, rubbing the back of Sam's head finding no lumps or blood.

"That actress? Oh come on, Dean." Sam's shoulders hitched once with a snort.

"Don't we have better things to do?" Sam winced a bit as Dean twisted his head to the side to continue his thorough search for wounds.

"Uh… no? We just burned Leticia Gore's bones so now it's time to save that poor chick from all the nerds," Dean said cockily as he finished up.

'No wounds. Why are you still bleeding from your nose? Did you..?" He stopped himself when Sam glared at him.

"No I haven't used my powers behind your back. I promised you that I wouldn't." Sam almost whined quietly and Dean felt guilty at once. He couldn't lie though. He didn't fully trust Sam yet, though he did seem to have learned from his mistakes.

"Hold still," Dean removed Sam's hand from his nose and the little cloth was saturated with blood. Dean made sure Sam kept his head tilted back before wetting a small towel and returned to Sam's side and pressed it to Sam's nose. Sam squirmed, but Dean secured the towel against his nose by keeping a hand on his brother's neck.

"It's cold!" Sam complained and glared at Dean.

"Suck it up," Dean sighed and luckily it didn't take long for Sam to quiet down.

"Let me check your eyes again, princess."

Two minutes later Dean had come to the conclusion that Sam luckily did not have a concussion anyway and the bleeding nose was probably from the hit he had taken by Leticia Gore. His eyes were clear and reacting to light normally, and all of the injuries seemed superficial.

"You sure you are okay?" Dean asked from the door to the room and looked to where his little brother was stretched out on one of the beds. "You're not going to go into a coma if I leave you here, will you?"

"I'm fine. Go save the girl, idiot," Sam waved a hand at his brother and that was all Dean needed.

* * *

Sam woke up with a start sometime during the night. Despite the late hour, the convention seemed to still be in full swing. He could hear music and laughter through the walls. He sat up in bed, still fully dressed since getting some sleep had been more important than shucking off his dirty clothes. He stood up and walked over to the door, feeling much better.

As soon as he had opened the door he swore he could hear children's laughter. He shook it off. They had taken care of the ghost, so there shouldn't be anything more to worry about than some inebriated conventioneers. In the meantime, a shower and some more sleep was just what he needed. He turned to close the door when he picked up another sound from the room just across the hall from theirs. A pitched squeal and then a hushing sound.

Narrowing his eyes, Sam inched closer; his eared pricked as he leaned closer to the door and tried to catch the muffled sounds. His eyes turned huge when he realized what he was listening in on. He would recognize his brother's voice and laughter from anywhere, accompanied with a girl's laughter.

"Oh gross." He hurried back into his own room and shut the door maybe a little too hard. He had walked in on Dean before by accident once before and the mental images were still painfully fresh in his mind. He didn't need a repeat performance.

Ten minutes later, the door to their room re-opened and a fresh and happy looking Dean came in.

"Hey there, Sammy. Feeling better?" Dean grinned wickedly, looking entirely satisfied with himself.

"I see you are," Sam scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Hell yeah. What a tiger that girl is. I guess a weekend with just geeks does make on desperate in more then one way," Dean laughed, but it slowly trailed off when Sam glared at him.

"So what's up? What are you doing up? It's like two in the morning." Dean asked.

"I don't know. I've got a weird feeling that maybe we're not done here yet," Sam groaned from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed before slowly letting himself fall down on it, lying halfway across the bed.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It seemed way too easy to just be a salt and burn," Dean nodded in agreement.

"Easy for you to say. You didn't get knocked around and sucker punched by a ghost." Sam tilted his head to look at his brother.

"Thought you would be used to that by now," Dean whispered to himself with a slight smile.

"What did you say?" Sam groaned in annoyance.

"Nothing. Never mind. Come on. Let's check out the hotel and see if we can find out if your sixth sense is right," Dean helped Sam up from the bed and together they went out to explore the hotel yet again.

* * *

Once again, the result of their exploration and not knowing to leave well enough alone resulted in both Winchesters on the ground, panting for air just as the little ghost kids were sent to their eternal rest.

"Guess they did it," Dean said, sounding a bit surprised. "The beanpole and the potato sack saved the day. Who would have thought?" While it was a bit mortifying that two highly experienced hunters had needed help from a pair of amateurs, at least everyone made it out in one piece.

He sat up and looked over to where his giant brother was lying on the floor, rubbing his forehead where a blade had been press just seconds earlier.

"Don't be rude, Dean. They're not that bad," Sam ran a hand through his hair just to be sure the top of his head was still there. He jumped a little in surprise when Dean popped up over him, offering a hand up. As soon as they both were standing again Sam felt something tickle down over his lips.

"Oh no, not again," he groaned, knowing at once what the cause was. This time he had hit the floor too hard.

"I think your nose is starting to look slightly crooked," Dean joked humorlessly and patted Sam on the back. "Guess this just really isn't your weekend?"

"Hmpf. Hope next weekend isn't yours then," Sam snickered slightly when Dean nudged him in the side.

"That's just cruel," Dean warned and shook his head. He looked out the window as they walked down the corridors. The sun was rising and he could see police cars and ambulance arriving in the hotel parking lot. Sam seemed to see that too and looked at Dean while pressing the button to the elevator.

"How on earth are we going to explain the death of that German dude? Oh, and all the freaked out geeks that saw real life ghosts?" Sam asked.

Dean seemed to ponder at this while waiting for the elevator to get to the first floor. The door pinged open and they stepped out. They were met by more or less fifty fans trying to be the first one to tell the police officers what they had witnessed. Dean grinned and looked up at Sam. They wouldn't have any trouble slipping away in the confusion.

"We'll let them figure it out themselves this time. Okay?" Sam just nodded in agreement and sneaked out a backdoor so they didn't need to talk to the police.

"Oh, and the next time 'Chuck' texts us," Dean made a quotation marks in the air with his fingers, making sure that both he and Sam knew who he was really talking about. "Let's ignore it."

So this was originally supposed to be a comedic chapter, but I guess that changed somewhere along the way. Kinda wished it was the last chapter because it would kinda fit huh? XD


	15. Obstruction

First of all, I am so sorry for the long time between the previous chapter and this. A lot has been going on. Asylum 4 convention, school project and my beta reader had computer problems. Luckily by then I had gotten a second beta reader to help me out, so here the new chapter is!

_Thanks so much to **supernaturalmydreams** for beta reading! _

So this was originally supposed to be a comedic chapter, but I guess that changed somewhere along the way. Kinda wish it was the final chapter - not because I don't want to write anymore, but I dunno... thought it would kinda be a nice ending to this series. hehe

* * *

**O - Obstruction**

_Set: Many, many years after the series storylines. Hints to "The Dark Side of the Moon"_

"SAM!" Dean croaked.  
"Huuuh?" came a sleepy reply back.  
"SAM!" Dean repeated.  
"Sam?" Sam frowned and looked up. He squinted at his older brother on the other side of the small table,  
"Oh. Me?" he frowned and started poking his fork into his food again.  
"What?" Dean leaned toward his brother and squinted too. Sam grunted as he stood up and rounded the table and started poking Dean in the ear.  
"Is it on?" he asked after poking.  
"What is on?" Dean coughed once and stood up to face Sam.  
"The hearing aid you jerk," Sam went back to his seat to pick up his cane and the last bit of broccoli and stuffed it into his mouth. Dean sighed at his old little brother. Sam was still a tall man, but the years had brought him into a hunch so Dean didn't really need to look up to his little brother anymore. At an age of 96, Dean Winchester was no longer the ladies man despite refusing to accept it. The light in 92 year old Sam Winchester's eyes had slowly been ebbing over the last few years and he had suffered from a stroke not long ago. It was unfair really. He had always been the healthier of the two brothers, but he was the one the nurses were guessing would go first.  
"I can't believe you still eat crap. You can hardly chew it," Sam said around the broccoli. Suddenly his eyes turned big as he started chocking. Dean lifted his head very slowly, noticing his brother in trouble, but his old body refusing to act faster.  
"Sam?" he humped over to behind Sam and tried to wrap his skinny arms around his skinny brother's waist. He groaned in annoyance when he realized he wasn't strong enough. He looked around for the nurses, but the only one there was sleeping at work. Dean cursed and thumped Sam hard on his fragile back as hard as he could. It did seem to do the trick though because the green vegetable went flying out Sam's mouth and right into another old man's coffee cup.  
"Still got it," Dean carefully cocked his neck as Sam ungratefully silently started to hump towards his room,  
"Who would have thought a broccoli could be the death of you and not a ghost or deranged hunters."  
Sam just huffed and Dean automatically followed. On his way back to his room beside Sam's, he hit on one of the nurses,  
"Where were you when this..." he paused and circled a hand around his face,  
"... was as smooth as baby's butt?" he smiled and winked at the nurse.  
"Ah that's adorable, Mr. Winchester," she smiled and patted him on the shoulder before continuing down the corridor on her errand. Dean sighed and continued on his slow walk down to his room. As he passed Sam's room he could hear his little brother's slow giggle at him.  
"Oh shut up," he muttered without looking into the room.  
Once settled in his own room for the night, Dean looked up at the boring white ceiling and couldn't help getting nostalgic. All their lives people had said the two brothers had been unnaturally co-dependent on each other and Dean knew there was no point in denying that now. Their lives were reaching an end, surprisingly of old age, and the two of them were still together. Sure, they had both married at some point. Dean had been married twice, with the first marriage going to hell and the second lasting for just a handful of years before his wife was taken away by something they had hunted their whole life. Sam had been a little luckier. He had been married once and he and his wife had been married for almost 30 years when she died of old age five years ago. Neither of the Winchester brothers had kids though. It was a silent agreement to not bring kids into a world where being a Winchester was a curse. Dean's first wife would not go along with that. His second wife never got the chance to consider the idea and Sam's wife was a hunter as well and agreed. So the Winchester bloodline would die with Sam and Dean. It was sad really, but for the best. However, Dean couldn't stop imagining having a little Sammy running around. He knew his thoughts were cliched - that to imagine getting a son resembling his little brother as a kid and maybe having the same name, but that was what Dean imagined if he had a kid. Dean hadn't only been Sam's brother when they grew up. He'd almost been like a father to Sam and he knew that his dreams of a full family were affected by that.  
He slowly drifted off into sleep, wondering what the next boring day would bring.

* * *

Dean blinked once. Then twice. Then cursed when his back hurt. He very slowly sat up in bed, running a hand over his bald head. He patted the night stand for his glasses and struggled to put them on.  
"Ugh. Still alive," he grumbled and got up and dressed in boring grey clothes. By all means, the retirement home was nice enough, but oh so boring! He would actually rather go out quickly then quietly dying over the years.  
He heard some noise in the corridors outside his room and huffed his way over to the door.  
"Who makes so much noise at this unearthly time in the morning?" he complained. Of course the unearthly time was 10:00 am, but that was only late when they were younger. As old men that was way too early.  
"What's going on here!" he grumbled annoyed, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a stretcher being rolled down the corridors by two men. There was no mistake what was going on. There was a white blanket covering up a body on the stretcher.  
"Huh... who is that?" he asked one of his neighbours.  
"Huh?" the man squinted at him.  
"Huh?" Dean squinted back.  
"Did you say anything?" the man repeated and then lifted a finger to his ear. Dean realized what was going on and clicked on his own hearing aid too.  
"What is going on?" Dean repeated loudly.  
"I can hear you now. No need to shout," the man complained,  
"Someone died this morning. That grey haired fella in the room beside you."  
"Where in an Retirement Home. There's only grey haired or bald fellas here," Dean argued before realizing the other thing the man had said. At that moment a sad looking nurse came walking up to him.  
"Mr. Winchester," the young blond woman looked honestly heartbroken. It was his and Sam's nurse.  
"No..." Dean whispered and staggered over to Sam's room.  
"Mr. Winchester. I don't think..." she didn't finish because Dean was already outside Sam's door. Dean slowly felt the rest of his pity world collapse around him when he saw the empty room. No Sam.  
"I am so sorry. Sam had another stroke this morning. There was nothing we could do," the young woman rested a hand on her old patient's shoulder, feeling tears in her eyes. She hadn't been taken care of the Winchesters for more than two months, but she had grown quite fond of the two brothers and their wild stories.  
"He can't be..." Dean felt tears run down his cheeks and stumbled into Sam's room and slowly sat down on his little brother's bed.  
"He didn't feel anything. It went fast..." her mouth hang agape, not sure what more to say. She was still new in this job and comforting someone after their loss of a loved one was never easy.  
They sat in silence for so long, nothing stopping the tears running down Dean's face or the hopelessness that was growing in him. He had lost Sam to death a few times when they were younger, but it was never any easier. He had actually thought it wouldn't break him as much now that they were old men as it did when they were young men, but it wasn't like that at all. This time it really felt final. It was final. Sam's time was up and there was nothing he could do.

* * *

The day went by agonizingly slowly. The Retirement home held a service in memory of Sam and many had come. Some stupid old woman was playing horribly sad music on piano. The sad music were playing in the background like some stupid soundtrack of their lives didn't help Dean coping. Dean was the first to leave as quickly as he could. He was no longer crying though his eyes wouldn't dry. He humped down the corridor to Sam's room as fast as he could, which wasn't fast, but he got there quicker than usual. Naturally, his nurse wasn't slow to follow. They spent the evening together in Sam's room. They didn't say much, but she wouldn't leave him alone. Somewhere along the way she had found a small book under Sam's pillow and handed it to Dean. The little book contained scrambled words Sam had written over the past two years. The pity thing was that it was like a diary and way too short to expand over two years. It was so boring Dean didn't bother reading more then one page before jumping to the last thing Sam had written. It was sad. Just by the little he read he could imagine how boring Sam felt. He had seen the light dying in Sam's eyes since the first stroke and there hadn't really been much left in his life beside Dean.  
_"Ash once told me and Dean that only soul mates share heaven. Dean and I didn't. That's what scares me the most about death. Maybe I wont see him again?"_  
Dean swallowed hard after reading Sam's last words.  
"Who is this Ash?" the nurse asked curiously.  
"Some old friend from when we were young. He told us things few know about the afterlife," Dean's voice became distant as he thought back at the old days.  
He had found it harder to remember how people looked like when they were younger now. He couldn't really remember what Ash looked like besides the hockey hairdo of course. It had been almost 60 years since Jo and Ellen died, but he still remembered them, at least Jo. Ellen's face was washed out of his memory.  
He could remember his father's face though, and Bobby's. Since Sam's wife died, he was gradually forgetting how his little brother used to look. It felt awful. He had spent his whole life with his little brother, but all thanks to age and dying spirit, the old Sam had taken over every memory of young Sam.  
"He was a genius, Ash. Didn't look like one though," he laughed sadly and the nurse smiled.  
"Well Mr. Winchester. I don't doubt this Ash was a genius, but how can anyone be an expert about death without being there himself?" she wondered, trying to reassure her patient that there was still hope for him to meet his little brother again.  
"Trust me, you wouldn't believe it. Oh look," Dean's face lit up a fraction when he found two photos in the back of the book. He held up the first photo to show the nurse.  
"That's me and Sam at our Uncle Bobby's when we were just kids," he explained. She took the photo and smiled. She could easily guess who Dean was of the two since he was taller. Sam was sitting on the kitchen counter while Dean leaned against it beside him.  
"That must have been in 1993 or something. Our dad was out working and we had to stay with our Uncle," Dean took the photo back with a sad smile.  
"Imagine that," the nurse smiled happily.  
"Yeah, we looked like that once too," Dean huffed another laugh. He looked at the second photo and his wrinkled face wrinkled even more when his smile widened.  
"Look, this is Sam and me by our car sometime in 2011," Dean felt his heart starting to break again seeing Sam and himself together right after the Apocalypse. Exhausted and just sick of everything, but still together. They looked honest to God happy there. Right at that moment Dean couldn't understand how as soon as he looked away from the photo he would forget Sam's young face again.  
"Wow that's Sam?" the nurse smiled and ran a finger down Sam's face on the photo,  
"So young and handsome," she snickered before looking up at Dean,  
"You too of course."  
"Heh. It's rather depressing thinking of how long ago this was," Dean's focus went from between Sam and the Impala behind them. Gosh how he missed his car. He had had it for almost another twenty years after the Apocalypse was won, but in the end his baby just couldn't go anymore. It had kept going for over five decades.  
"Get some rest, Mr. Winchester. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day," the nurse offered with a sad smile and left the room, closing the door after her.  
"I doubt so," Dean mumbled to himself, still looking at the photo of himself and Sam. He sighed and lied down on the bed, photo resting under his hand against his chest and closed his eyes.  
"Dear God, of all people, I know you're real and although I'm still not one to pray, I am now. Please. Please let this be my time of dying too. Please let me find Sam," Dean whispered.

* * *

Dean woke with a start and rolled out of bed. He froze at once and looked around the room without moving his head. Something wasn't right. He slowly got up and on his way to his feet he realized what the difference was. He held out his arms in front of him and gasped. The skin on his arms was stretched back and soft like they used to be in his younger days. Not old and wrinkly with unexplainable spots all over.  
"Oh man am I dead?" his face actually lit up a bit. Morbid as it was, right now death was what he had wished for. He ran over to a mirror and gasped in delight again.  
"Oh man! I'm... I'm awesome!" he grasped his face with his hands and grinned like an idiot. His hair was short and spiky like he had liked to have it most of his life. He ran toward a door and ripped it open.  
"Where am I?" he frowned when he noticed he was in a motel room, but there was no way he could separate it from the endless motels they had stayed at throughout their lives.  
"S... Sam?" he whispered, not sure why, but it felt most appropriate. He spun around when he heard a gasp for air behind him. His heart almost exploded in his chest when he saw Sam, looking like he did in his early twenties.  
"Sam!" he stepped forward to greet him when he realized that this had to be a memory because things were coming back to him.  
"You're choking!" Dean gaped stupidly when he remembered what memory he was in. Just a week after Jessica's death. Dean had come back from the store to find Sam choking on something. He looked around, not sure whether to expect himself to come through the door or if he was supposed to do something. When Sam started to fall to the floor Dean reacted and caught Sam around the chest from behind and pulled. Sam kept wheezing for air when it didn't work, but Dean kept going.  
"Come on!" he shouted and finally a big piece of some yucky stuff shot out of Sam's mouth. Sam sagged against his brother's chest and sighed.  
"Thank you. Thank you," Sam sighed relieved and let his head rest back against his brother's shoulder and closed his eyes. Dean felt emotions overwhelm him when he recognized Sam's words.  
"This is all so fucked up..." Sam sobbed now, tears running down his face as one of his arms blindly reached back for Dean's neck. Dean hugged Sam closer and hid his face in his little brother's neck. He remembered how broken Sam had been the first months after Jessica's death, but the first week had been downright horrible. Dean realized though that this was most likely his memory. He had Sam with him, thanking him and needing him and freshly saved by his big brother. At the same time, Dean didn't know whether to be happy or cry. If this was a memory of Sam - where was Sam? How was he going to find his brother's heaven?  
"This is a good memory to you?" Sam spoke up and Dean frowned again. He opened his eyes and realized Sam had changed in front of him. He was no longer holding his skinny, needy little brother, but an older looking one. Just under 30, but still.  
"Sam?" Dean ignored the question and let Sam sit up, but held his hand to Sam's shoulder,  
"What's going on?"  
Now tears suddenly welled up in Sam's eyes again, but instead of a miserable look on his face, a smile had replaced it.  
"We're in the same Heaven! You're not a memory!" Sam whispered as he looked his big brother over. Dean just gaped like a fish on land, not really sure what the hell was going on. He closed his eyes and shook his head, but when he opened them again they were no longer in that motel room. He took in their new surroundings. They were on a dark road and Dean immediately recognized it. Castiel had once said that everyone in Heaven has a different road to follow. Dean's had been a road with the Impala. He turned to look at Sam again who was smiling like a dork.  
"You have any idea what this means?" Sam stepped closer to Dean,  
"We share Heaven!" he pointed down the road where they could just spot the Impala by the side of the road. Dean felt his heart flutter at the sight of his old car, but turned to look at Sam again, smiling like an idiot too.  
"You're kidding..." he snorted, but wasted nothing more and hugged his brother,  
"Thank God. Who the hell gave you the right to die first!" he sobbed, but smiled through the tears, hugging Sam closer to him, having to pull his tall brother down a bit. There was no telling how long he hugged his brother, but he didn't really care. He was so happy he found his little brother, so happy to actually be dead and even happy that Sam had to lean down for the hug.  
"I'm sorry. I don't really control that," Sam snickered as they broke apart. He took hold of Dean's upper arm and pulled him towards to Impala.  
"Oh man this really is heaven!" Dean grinned and patted the car over the roof,  
"I got my car, my little brother and I look awesome again!" Dean flashed his one million dollar smile at his little brother before patting Sam on the back.  
"Why is that anyway? You know?" Dean watched as Sam sat down on the front of the Impala and frowned,  
"Why am I all hot again and you're all Sasquatch?"  
Sam snorted at the old nickname,  
"It's been so long since you've called me that."  
"Well you went from Sasquatch to Hunchback so I was just trying to give you fitting nicknames."  
Sam went quiet for a little while as he thought. "I don't know really. I assume maybe when we die we return to the age of which was the highlights of our lives. It makes sense kinda," Sam suggested.  
"How does that make any sense?" Dean wondered and sat down beside Sam.  
"Well think of it. Remember all those years ago right before the end of the Apocalypse? We met Ash and mom and... uh... Pamela! Well, mum looked so beautiful and happy. It wouldn't surprise me if the highlight of her life was when you were just a kid. Ash, well he seemed pretty happy with his life to begin with and Pamela..." Sam didn't really know how to explain Pamela, but Dean was nodding.  
"College boy really is smart!" Dean laughed,  
"So, I'm like 25 now?" he suggested hopefully.  
"Hah, Dean! Hate to break it to you, but you're more like 31. I think I'm 27. Don't you see? What would be the highlight of our lives? I would guess throwing Lucifer back in his cage is way up there," Sam smiled.  
"Not arguing with you there."  
"So, what do we do now?" Sam wondered and looked up into the sky. The stars were rotating around a purple moon. It was a stunning sight and Sam felt hope in him. Maybe the afterlife wouldn't be too bad? Maybe they could find their old friends?  
"I would go for be dead and merry," Dean suggested with a cocky smile. He stood up and went to the drivers seat and sat in, waiting for Sam to join him in the passenger seat.

* * *

So, what ya think? Do you accept my apologize-gift for the late chapter? hehe


	16. Passing Out

**Hi! So this one is rather short, but not everyone can be long! Thank you all for the sweet comments for my previous chapter. Glad you liked it! Didn't mean to make people cry, but... oh well lol. **

_Thanks so much to **supernaturalmydreams** for beta reading! _

* * *

**P - Passing Out  
**- Set in "Two Minutes To Midnight"

Dean looked up from the four rings on the table in front of him from where he was standing outside in Bobby's salvage yard when he saw one of Bobby's vans pulling up and stopped near him.  
"Hey," he stood up and pocketed the rings and greeted Castiel as he came out from the side of the van.  
"How did it go?" Castiel asked, squinting at Dean.  
"Uhm. I got the ring from Death. It didn't go like I had expected, but at least I got it," he paused when Castiel just continued squinting, one eyebrow raising slightly,  
"I'll explain later."  
Bobby was already unloading some of their weapons from the van while Sam got out of the car last.  
"Hey, Sammy, how'd it go?" Dean patted his brother on the back once as they headed back toward Bobby's house.  
"We managed to stop the trucks from leaving," Sam explained, rubbing his temple a little,  
"Couldn't save more then ten innocent people though. The demons there infected some of the workers with the croatoan virus."  
Dean spotted the disappointment in Sam's voice at once,  
"Ten's better than nobody, Sam," he tried to reassure,  
"You're okay?" Dean frowned at Sam's slight grimace.  
"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine. How did it go for you? You managed to take down Death?" Sam wondered too. They entered Bobby's house and closed the door after them since apparently Bobby and Castiel stayed outside.  
"He gave it to me," Dean decided to say it as it was.  
"He what?" Sam snorted once before he realized Dean was serious.  
"Yeah apparently he wants Lucifer out of the way as much as us..." Dean's voice trailed off and he bit his bottom lip.  
"But...?" Sam dragged on and suddenly winced again, putting a hand to his forehead. It went unnoticed by Dean who sat down in the coach with a bottle of beer and feet on the table.  
"But I had to promise him to... to help, whatever it takes," he focused on the bottle, feeling like he was betraying his brother by letting him go on that suicide mission his plan would lead to.  
"Whatever? You mean you... ouch," Sam blinked hard when pain shot through his head again, this time blurring his vision in its wake.  
"Sam?" Dean started getting off the couch when Sam started swaying. He kept a little distance from his brother to give him some space, but quickly dropped his bottle when Sam groaned and his legs started giving.  
"Dammit, Sam?" Dean grunted when he caught most of Sam's weight on his shoulder, trying to keep his brother up,  
"What happened? Are you hurt?" he tried to angle his head so he could see Sam's face, but his brother's long hair hid his face. It wasn't hard to figure out Sam was passing out when his legs finally gave up completely and Dean had no other choice but to kneel down on the floor. He carefully kept a hand on the back of Sam's neck as he lowered his brother to the floor. He quickly positioned Sam on his side, cradling his face,  
"Sammy, hey come on, wake up," Dean knelt on the hard floor while stroking his brother's face, but without getting any reaction.  
"Cas! Bobby!" Dean straightened a bit to shout toward the open windows, not moving his hands from Sam's face. He held his breath so he could focus on sounds and he returned his attention to Sam when he heard footfalls on the gravel outside the house.  
"Come on, Sammy. What's up with the fainting?" Dean tried to lighten the mood, but trying not to worry for his little brother whenever something was wrong went against everything in him. He carefully pushed Sam onto his back to get a better idea of how his breathing and pulse were. Just then, Castiel came through the door, looking all over the room before his eyes landed on Dean's back and two long legs stretched out on the floor.  
"What happened?" Castiel walked over slowly, watching as Dean tapped his brother's cheeks.  
"I was hoping you could tell me. What the hell happened out there?" Dean looked up at Castiel in hope of anything that could explain Sam's unconscious state. Castiel moved closer to his human friends to get a closer look,  
"Uh, he seemed fine back at the warehouse. He even saved buttloads of people there," he explained and put a hand on Sam's forehead. Dean closed his eyes and shook his head at Castiel's words. It was strange to hear the angel talk so - so human...-ish instead of the I'm-better-than-you attitude the angels had going.

"Sam's a hunter, Cas. He doesn't just faint like this," Dean hissed, but silently cheered when Sam finally frowned. Dean placed one of his hands behind Sam's neck and lifted his brother's head up a little to get his focus.  
"Well he was attacked by a croat, but..." Cas trailed off as if it wasn't important and poked Sam lightly in the cheek.  
"And you thought that wasn't important enough to tell me?" Dean ignored the angel-gone-human and focused on Sam again as his brother moaned,  
"Hey there, Sammy. You okay?"  
Sam didn't answer, just groaned as Dean helped him up into a sitting position. It didn't take more than a second before he moaned again and tipped over into Dean's shoulder, closing his eyes from the lights.  
"He was fine after it, Dean. Whatever is wrong with him now, I don't think that has anything to do with it," Castiel explained and put a hand on Sam's back. Dean held his hand to Sam's neck, keeping him to his shoulder while the other quickly ran over Sam's body. Seemingly nothing was wrong.  
"What happened?" Sam swallowed and put a hand to his temple.  
"You took a nosedive, Sammy," Dean tried to get a look at Sam's face, but again that long, brown hair was in the way.  
"Huh?" Sam wondered disorientated.  
"You fainted," Dean said shortly.  
"I... I don't faint," Sam tried to sit up, embarrassment creeping up his neck.  
"So what do they call sudden collapse and loss of consciousness where you come from?" Dean smirked sympathetically. Sam still rubbed his temple and tried to come up with a clever answer.  
"Passing out sounds less... wimpy," Sam smirked back, blushing,  
"Don't look so worried. It isn't the first time you've been around someone passing out."  
Dean couldn't disagree with that and helped Sam up.  
"Yeah, but they aren't you. Seeing you unconscious is way more unsettling than some stranger," Dean mumbled.  
"Sorry," Sam says, humbled by Dean's small revelation,  
"It's not like I'm asking for it to happen."  
"Probably not. It's one of the first times you've just 'passed out' though. Sure you're okay?," Dean turned serious again.  
"What? It happens..." Sam's mind was still jumbled and Dean decided the best idea was to get his brother to bed.  
"Yeah when you get knocked around it's not weird, but you never just pass out," Dean secured his grip around Sam's waist as they started on the stairs. He looked quickly over his shoulder to see that Cas was right behind them.  
"Please give it a rest, Dean. I'm just tired," Sam sighed loudly when they finally reached the top.  
"I'm not giving it a rest, Sam. First of all, when a hunter like you just passes out, it's because of something and two, I'm never gonna let this go," Dean chuckled after the last bit.  
"Oh great," Sam muttered. They just reached the door to the room when Dean came to a dead halt, almost making Sam face plant to the floor again.  
"Sam, did you get any croatoan virus or blood on you at the warehouse?" Dean turned to look at Castiel too.  
"What? No? Dean, you know that if that was the case I would look like them," Sam reassured, Dean's theory freaking him out nonetheless.  
"He's right, Dean. You have to get it inside your body for it to work," Castiel explained,  
"Besides, croats don't just faint," Castiel added, backing off a bit when Sam glared at him,  
"I'm sorry. You prefer 'passing out.'"  
Sam was about to comment on that when Dean's annoyed groan interrupted,  
"Girls, that's enough. What do you take me for? I know all this, but I just want to make sure we can rule that out, okay?" Dean tightened his hold around Sam's waist and manhandled his brother into the room, causing his little brother to whine.  
"I mean it, Dean. Let it go. It's the Apocalypse man. I haven't slept much lately and neither have you. I'm fine, I swear," Sam sat down on the bed and despite Dean nodding, his big brother fussed over him a little more before pushing him completely down onto the bed.  
"Fine. I believe you..." Dean said.  
"Good," Sam answered back, glaring.  
"I believe you just fainted like a girl," Dean added and snorted.  
"Dean!" Sam whined and punched him in the shoulder, causing Dean to jump away.  
"Hey, it's a good thing! I knew there wasn't anything to worry about," Dean defended.  
"I don't understand your reaction," Castiel muttered curiously, making Dean frown and turn to look at him,

"Downstairs you seemed genuinely worried. Now you're saying you didn't worry. I think there's a word for that," Castiel tilted his head while he tried to find the word. Dean snorted nervously and looked from Castiel to Sam and back again. Sam didn't know Dean was making a chick flick moment downstairs!  
"Pchiz... schizophrenia I think is the word," Castiel straightened his neck again once he found the word.  
"Cas! Shut. Up!" Dean held his arms out, face showing a good mix of shock and annoyance. Sam laughed on the bed and Dean's face turned red.  
"Oh right. Sorry, Dean. You didn't want to let Sam know you were showing brotherly affection for him downstairs," Cas confirmed in his usual Castiel-manner. Even though the angel seemingly had turned human, he certainly still had his angel tendencies.  
"Thanks. Cas," Dean grumbled and turned back to Sam, only to see his little brother trying to stifle a laugh. Castiel didn't say anything, just frowned a bit while trying to figure out why Dean was thanking him.  
"Dean, just go," Sam offered, knowing his brother probably wanted to get out of the room, but at the same time that big brother mode was still on.  
"Thanks," Dean winked at Sam once before he was out the door. Castiel was left standing, confused over the whole situation.  
"Are you going to be fine?" Castiel then asked and Sam stopped his movements as he tried to settle down under the quilt.  
"I'll be fine, Cas. Thanks," Sam smiled at his friend and Castiel smiled a little dorky smile back before leaving the room. Sam sighed and settled down against the pillow.  
"Can't believe I just fainted," he muttered to himself, hiding his face in his pillow, slowly slipping into dreamworld.

* * *

What ya think? Short and silly I know, but the next one is a little longer :P


	17. Quake

**Hi!** The idea of what "Q" could be I got from **_friendly_**, so thanks with that! =)

_**supernaturalmydreams** beta checked this chapter for me!_

I've also changed my profile icon some days ago and I don't know if you can see what it is? I just happened to come across that clip and thought the lights from the Impala was so pretty and then we got pro!Dean in action and a little limp!Sam! What's not to like? lol

* * *

**Q - Quake **

_**-** Set in between hunts in season 3_

"Haha man, it's been such a long time since we did a simple salt and burn hunt I almost wish the ghost put up more resistance," Dean panted, sweat coating his forehead, but a bright smile evident on his face.  
"Well I'm happy it's done. It might have been easy to take down, but hard to find. Where are we anyway?" Sam grimaced as he paused when Dean stopped in front of him. The two brothers were climbing a steep hill in a forest in the middle of nowhere and had been out there for almost two days, just looking for the ghost.  
"I think the road is just over the hill behind the hut there," Dean pointed over his shoulder when he turned to look at Sam.  
"Yeah? That's one big hill man. Don't you think we should take a break? I'm tired, you're tired..." Sam trailed off, letting his hand make a quick sweep over Dean's grey shirt that had large spots of sweat on it. Dean looked down self-consciously and scratched his neck.  
"Yeah, I could use a break too," Dean nudged his brother in the arm before continuing up the hill toward the hut.  
Five minutes later they were by the large hut on the rocky landscape and Dean plopped down on a rock, fishing out a bottle of water. Sam ran a hand through his hair and tried to peek through the large windows to see if there was anyone in the hut.  
"Hello? Is anyone in there?" he yelled, but as expected he got no response back.  
"Who builds big huts like this here in the middle of nowhere anyway?" Dean squinted toward the hut, sun hitting his eyes.  
"Well the view is nice," Sam suggested and went to knock on the door.  
"Yeah..." Dean turned back to look at the stunning view,  
"But there's no road, no paths to follow. How do they find the hut anyway?"  
"Dean, I don't know and I don't really care. Maybe it's just open for anyone out traveling..." Sam was interrupted as the ground under him started shaking and a low rumble echoed through the forest. He frowned and looked around himself to look for Dean. The shaking stopped again and Sam released the hold he had on the door.  
"What the hell?" Dean was standing now, looking as confused as his brother,  
"Was that an earthquake?" Dean moved a little to look up the rocky hill behind the hut to see if the shake had set off any loose stones.  
"I guess," Sam didn't really know what else to think. It was the first time he had experienced what probably was an earthquake.  
"Here?" Dean looked a little puzzled.  
"Well it's not like earthquakes just happen in cities for the heck of it, Dean," Sam returned his focus back on the hut and pulled the door handle down, surprised when it opened. Once inside the door Sam realized he was probably right about the hut just being open for any passerby. There were simple beds and tables, but nothing steal-worthy - meaning it was open for anyone.  
"Dean! We can-" suddenly everything started shaking again and this time it grew more and more violent. Sam lost his footing as the house started tipping to one side.  
"Sam!" Sam could hear his brother outside the house, but didn't have time to answer before he started sliding along the floor as the house seemed to lean over to one side. Wood started cracking and the loose furniture started sliding across the floor as well. Sam grunted as he hit the opposite wall and screamed as one of the beds came sliding toward him.

Dean yelped as the sheer violence in the new quake tossed him off his feet. He landed hard on his side and groaned when he felt his wrist take a beating against a stone, dislocating it. He grimaced in pain, but tried to get up on his feet and find Sam. Once Dean got up, he looked down the part of the hill they already had climbed and saw a few trees tipped over and rocks rolling down. It sounded like the ground was groaning awake from a long sleep and Dean shivered. He heard the sound of breaking wood behind him and turned around, only to lose is balance again.  
"Sam!" he shouted when he saw the ground under a part of the hut starting to crack.  
"Shit, shit, shit," Dean cursed and tried clumsily to get to the hut as it started tipping into the widening crack. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, but he knew Sam was in there and by the looks of it, that was the last place to be right now. Dean cried out again as a tree hit the ground right behind him, making him fall forward onto his hurting wrist. He was so close to the hut and couldn't stop now. He froze when he heard a scream from inside and was about to shout back when something hard hit him on the back of his head.

* * *

Dean blinked once, then twice, and then sneezed. He groaned and shook his head, pain spiking through it. He quickly realized that he was lying on his stomach and something wet was running down his neck. He carefully pushed himself up on his elbows and tried to blink away his blurry surroundings.  
"Where the hell am I?" he muttered and looked around. He froze in place when he saw a wall of rock a few meters away from him. He turned to look behind him and only met another rock wall. It all came back to him in a matter of seconds and he figured out quickly that he was inside a rather large canyon in the stony ground the quake had caused. He pressed himself against the rocky wall and cursed silently. He was sitting on a ledge, big enough for five grown men to lie down on it, but placed horribly. When he looked over the ledge, he saw the crack continue down for at least eight more meters before both sides meeting. Falling down there would be even less fortunate. The only way out had to be up.  
"Holy-" Dean squirmed when he, for the first time, looked up and realized a part of the hut was practically right above him. Seeing the amazingly, terrifying sight, he couldn't understand how he'd missed it in the first place. Bits of wood were still falling into the canyon from all the places the hut had broken. Dean squinted toward one of the broken windows nearest him and carefully found his way closer to it on the ledge.  
"Sam!" he gaped when he realized his brother was lying unconscious on the wood beside the window, one bloody arm hanging out of it. The wood his sasquatch brother was lying on was a part of the wall squeezing down into the crack and Dean could see the wooden walls starting to bulge outwards because of all the weight from furniture that had hit the wall.  
"SAM!" Dean shouted and moved even closer. Rocks started to loosen under him on the ledge and Dean prayed to whomever that it would hold. He silently cheered when he could touch his brother's arm hanging out of the window. The window ledge itself was just out of reach, but with some help...  
"Come on, Sam! Please be okay!" Dean started carefully rubbing the bloody arm, avoiding the cuts on it. Dean held his own dislocated wrist to his chest as he tried to peek through the window and inside the hut. Getting inside would probably be the only way out, but if they didn't hurry he was sure the wall Sam was lying on would give in.  
"Hey, Sammy. There you go," Dean's face broke into a desperate smile when Sam groaned and lifted his head a bit. Half his face was covered in blood and drying up in his hair, making the dark mess stand out in all directions.

"What'a..." Sam's mind seemed to clear quickly enough and Dean hoped that meant the head wound his brother had obviously suffered wasn't too bad. He knew head wounds could bleed a lot and look worse than they were.  
"Oh my god," Sam would have jumped further onto the unsafe wooden walls if it wasn't for Dean's secure hold on his hand.  
"Hey, hey, calm down, Sam. I'm here," Dean shouted, catching his brother's attention.  
"Dean? What are you doing down there?" Sam asked stupidly, kneeling closer to the window and squinting out and down at Dean.  
"Earthquake, remember? Something hit me and I woke up on this shit," Dean nodded sideways at the ledge he was standing on, not taking his eyes off his brother,  
"Listen, the part of the hut you're in is not going to hold long, but it's the only way out. You have to help me up," Dean spoke urgently, noticing how Sam's gaze kept losing focus. Sam pressed his eyes closed as if that would help stop a splitting headache.  
"Yeah. Alright. Here," Sam swallowed hard and grabbed onto the arm Dean was already holding him with,  
"What's wrong with your arm?" now he noticed Dean clutching his arm to his chest and frowned.  
"I dislocated it. So, you know, can you try to be careful?" Dean gave Sam a crooked smile and Sam sighed.  
"Of course it is. Why make things easier when you can make them difficult?" Sam joked before securing a good hold with both his hands on Dean's good arm.  
"It wasn't as if I asked for it. I'll help. I just need to get to the window ledge so I can pull myself up by the elbows. Your hands okay?" Dean took a deep breath and tried to ready himself to be pulled up. He trusted his brother, but the fact that he would be dangling nine meters over a crack in the earth, from a house ready to collapse - by the arms of his equally, maybe even worse-hurt brother... yeah, he couldn't say he was looking forward to it.  
"Just cuts. Must have broken the window with it," Sam explained, feeling ready to pull Dean up. Just as he was about to pull, Dean suddenly planted his feet on the ledge again.  
"Uuuuh, you don't have a rope there do you?" Dean gritted his teeth, blushing a bit for being such a wuss.  
"Nope. Come on man. You know I won't let you fall," Sam complained, trying to pretend he didn't hear the hut groan and crack around him.  
"Well... yeah... I know. I just... you're hurt too.." Dean defended himself and his brother in one go.  
"Dude, it's either this way or that way," Sam let his eyes trail to the pit under them. Dean didn't say anything, but nodded after a few seconds of silence.  
"Ready?" Sam's forehead was starting to furrow again and he knew they had to hurry. His head was killing him and passing out now would be the _worst_ thing that could happen. They had to get it over with.  
"Ready," Dean confirmed and Sam started pulling him up at once. He found out at once that it would be impossible not to use his wounded arm, so Dean found his strength to push himself up enough to get his elbows into the hut.  
"Be careful with your hand!" Sam complained when Dean started dragging the rest of his body in through the window.  
"It's okay, Sammy. Not using my hand," Dean assured, relieved when he felt Sam grab the back of his jacket and pulling him completely up. Sam sighed loudly when Dean finally dumped down beside him, back resting against his chest. Sam let him stay there a moment to allow him to catch his breath.  
"Thank god for sasquatch brothers," Dean coughed a laugh, straightened up, and turned around a little to check on Sam.  
"We should get out," Sam reminded his brother when Dean started fussing over him. He tried to stand, but Dean grabbed his arm with his good hand and pulled him down.  
"Yeah, just a second," Dean complained, wanting to at least quickly check Sam before continuing on their way out. Sam let Dean have it his way, closing his eyes as his big brother carefully checked the bloody side of his head, pulling bloody hair strands out of the way to find the source of the blood.  
"Long cut to the temple," Dean confirmed, probing the bloody skin around the cut. Sam hissed in pain, but Dean had already removed his hand when a hand came flying to push it away.  
"Try not passing out yet, alright? Good," Dean smiled cheekily and patted Sam on the shoulder. Very carefully he stood up, now spotting the cracks on the wall that was facing down into the depth of the crack.  
Together the two tried to climb up the hut, but it wasn't an easy feat. There was nothing to hold onto on the floor so they had to try and climb up the sides, pulling themselves up by cracks in the wood.  
"Gah, this sucks," Dean groaned when he had cleared 3/4 part of the climb. His hurt wrist was killing him and he started to wish they had put it back before climbing.  
"Focus your energy on climbing, not bitching," Sam complained somewhere below him.  
"You try climbing with one hand," Dean retorted.  
"You try climbing with blood running into your eyes," Sam muttered annoyed. He silently cursed when that made Dean stop.  
"You're still bleeding?" Dean peeked down at Sam and sure enough he could easily see the red liquid running into his brother's eyes.  
"I'm fine, Dean. We don't have far more to go," Sam reassured. Sure enough Dean had reached the part of the hut where it had started breaking. The floor was bent to the point where some wood was still breaking, getting closer to breaking the hut into two. Dean still had to crawl across the part of the floor that was bent until he reached the horizontal level. There he turned to look for Sam.  
"Come on, Sam. It's not much further. Just crawl a little so you don't slide down again," He explained. Dean carefully stretched his neck as far as he could so he could see how the wall pressed into the canyon was doing. His eyes widened when he saw that the cracks in the wall were much wider now. He was no expert in engineering, but something told him that when that wall broke the roof was likely to follow.  
"Shit, hurry, Sam. I don't think the wall's gonna hold much longer," Dean urged on and as if on cue, there was a long groan from the hut. All Dean could do was watch the bottom wall break open, furniture and wood falling into the canyon. The sudden noise spooked Sam back into full alert and Dean crawled the meters separating them, grabbing Sam's upper arm with his good hand and pulling his brother up the last part. As predicted, the ceiling started giving and they had just reached the broken door as the part of the hut hanging over the canyon broke completely apart, crashing onto the canyon floor.  
"Holy shit," Sam gaped like a fish on land as they found their way out into open air; some fallen trees and rocks lay around. The two of them collapsed on a patch of soft grass, looking at the hut.  
"Hm." Dean grumbled and carefully lifted his hand to Sam.  
"Let's get it over with," His little brother sat up and took hold of his elbow.  
"Wait, wait, wait," Dean put a hand on top of Sam's to stop him,  
"Give me second will ya."  
"Come on, don't be such a wuss. We need to get your wrist back in. The faster it's done, the better," Sam carefully placed his other hand, ready to put the bone back in place.  
"Fine. Okay," Dean whined, pressing his eyes closed and grimaced - trying to ready himself.  
"On three," Sam warned.  
"One-" and with that Sam pulled the wrist back into place.  
"SONOFABITCH!" Dean shouted and pressed his hand to his chest,"You ALWAYS do that!" Dean complained, but Sam just smirked and looked at Dean over his shoulder. He closed his eyes and pressed his own hand against his bloody temple, leaning his elbow on his bent up leg.

* * *

Dean laid still, waiting for the throbbing pain in his arm to ease up. He watched the top of the trees in the forest, some were lopsided, leaning against other trees. Carefully he sat up, leaning against he elbows. He silently observed his little brother's still form. His brother was still leaning against his hand, eyes closed and his body seemingly started to sink toward the ground.  
"Sam?" Dean sat up better and took hold of his brother's shoulder, lying him down on the grass beside him.  
"Hm?" Sam moaned, the hand that he had pressed against his temple fell limply onto the grass beside his head.  
"Still with me?" Dean smirked, picking out a piece of cloth from his pocket and pressed it against Sam's head.  
"Ugh, sadly," Sam snickered when he opened one eye to peek at his brother.  
"You're the geek here. Shouldn't there be an aftershock?" Dean wondered. He cleaned away some of the blood on Sam's face, including the drops that had found their way into his eyes. A good shower would be needed to get the rest of the blood out; Sam's hair was stiff with it anyway. Dean threw the cloth away and checked Sam's pulse, satisfied that it was beating slightly fast, which was to be expected after what they had just been through. The whole time Dean checked him over, Sam was simply watching him, relaxing in the grass.  
"Most likely yeah," Sam tilted his head a bit to locate the trees. If the aftershock came, they would be in a hot spot nonetheless. They were in a forest after all.  
"How's your wrist?" Sam asked, noticing Dean was being careful with it.  
"Oh it's fine. Hurts like shit, but it's fine," Dean snorted when Sam did, but they were cut short when they felt the earth tremble again.  
"There it is," Sam groaned, sitting up with some help by Dean. The aftershock wasn't as strong as the previous one, but it was enough to collapse the rest of the hut and some leaning trees fell to the ground. Luckily, the trees surrounding the brothers remained standing. They just watched, mouths slack at the damages the final shock made.  
Finally, the aftershock stopped and the boys got to their feet.  
"Ready to go home?" Dean automatically circled his arm around Sam's waist, not waiting for an answer.  
"Yeah. But for once I wish we had a standstill home," Sam grimaced as he took the first step on their too long journey back to the Impala.  
"Shut your mouth, Sammy. Good thing she can't hear you from here," Dean warned. They made their way around the fallen hut, avoiding fallen trees and cracks in the ground. The walk back was going to take a long time, but at least they had both come out in one piece.  
"God you're mental," Sam laughed.


	18. Reliance

**There!** Finally here's my newest chapter. Just so you know for the next times it takes a long time between chapters - I haven't given up. I will finish this. Okay? ;D

**Warning:** Sexual content - nothing biggie

_Thanks to my sloooow (lol just joking), but very helpful beta reader **supernaturalmydreams!**_

* * *

**R - Reliance  
**_- Set sometime in s5 before "Abandon All Hope"_

"Hey, that girl is checking you out," Dean used his eyes to point in the direction of the blond haired girl that was obviously checking his brother out. Sam, of course, didn't even bother looking up, just huffed it off.

"Oh come on, Sammy. The girl is smokin' and the only thing she's looking at is you," Dean tried to catch her attention, but without luck. He mumbled something childish under his breath and took a sip of his beer. The two brothers had come to another small town in between hunts, taking an evening off. They had enjoyed having a relaxing evening together at the bar, but after four hours, the too quiet bar had grown extremely boring.

"Hey, I need to take a leak," Sam said after finishing his beer. They agreed without words that they had taken their last beer and would leave as soon as Sam was done.

"Hi," Sam had just vanished into the men's room when a light, flirty voice spoke up behind Dean.

"Hm? Hey," Dean looked quickly uninterested over his shoulder at the owner of the voice,

"I mean, hey," Dean straightened up and his smile widened at the sight of the pretty redhead.

"I've been watching you for a little while - in a non stalkerish way of course," the pretty young woman sat down on the bench seat beside Dean, draping her arm over his shoulders.

"Oh really?" that made Dean automatically look over to where the cute blond girl had looked at Sam, but now there was nobody there.

"Mhm. You can't blame me though. You're one nice piece of ass," the girl snickered, running her fingers over his neck. Dean suddenly saw double and things became unclear for a few seconds before everything cleared again.

"You okay?" the girl asked, frowning.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. More than fine," Dean let his eyes run down the redhead's body and he could almost feel drool collect in his mouth.

"What do you say we get out of here?" she suggested, wriggling her eyebrows.

"Yeah sure. But my brother..." Dean felt a little dazed, but assumed it was just the alcohol setting in.

"Oh he'll be fine. You're telling me you've never left a bar with a girl before? Without your brother?" the girl looked almost afraid for the answer to that.

"What? No. No, you're right. The motel is just around the corner anyway," Dean watched as the gorgeous young woman stood up, collecting her long red hair over one shoulder and holding out a hand for him.

"I'm Trish by the way," she whispered in his ear.

"Dean," Dean told her back shortly, smiling like a dork. With that, the two left the bar hand in hand.

* * *

Sam had just finished washing his hands when he heard the door to the men's room open. He turned to leave, but was a bit surprised when he saw a tall blond girl standing by the door.  
"Uh, this is the men's room," Sam smiled friendly,

"Unless I've gone into wrong room..." he frowned at the thought, but the girl just laughed.

"I know it's the men's room. I saw you go in here," she blushed a little, but walked closer to him. Sam came to think of the girl Dean said had been watching him.

"Uhm, okay, nice to meet you," Sam smiled awkwardly, but the pretty girl came closer and reached up to run a hand down the side of his face. Sam closed his eyes and stumbled a little where he was standing, but didn't fall.

"Are you okay?" the girl whispered, looking a little worried. Sam opened his eyes again and shook his head.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," his smile was more relaxed now and the girl leaned up to kiss him. He automatically started kissing her back while running his hands through her wavy blond hair. The girl snickered and her long fingers found their way into his hair as well, pulling him down a little more to deepen the kiss. Sam came to realize that the girl was indeed quite tall and didn't even need to stand on her tip toes to kiss him.

"That's it, Sammy Winchester. I know you want it," the girl whispered against his lips as she ran her hands up his chest. That made Sam open his eyes, but before he could ask how she knew his name, she knocked his head against the wall. Not hard enough to knock him out, just put him in a daze. She maneuvered him to the floor, his tall body sliding down the wall. Once sitting, the girl knelt between his legs, putting her hands on his slim thighs.

"What is this?" Sam slurred, his heart started beating harder as her hands got more and more reckless. She started working on his buckle and kissed him again when a sudden knock on the apparently closed bathroom door made her jump.

"Hey! We're closing up in five minutes!" Sam could recognize the bartender's voice and it suddenly brought him out of the daze.

"Damnit," the girl cursed, glaring at Sam. Then suddenly her face softened and she looked as sweet and innocent like she had earlier.

"It was nice meeting you, Sam," she leaned over to kiss him again while running a hand across his throat,

"I hoped I would get a better taste, but I guess this is it," she leaned back again, politely re-buckling his belt. She stood up and before Sam could collect his thoughts, he was alone in the room.

* * *

**1 Hour Later**

"Ah, ah mmm," Trish moaned as Dean kissed her neck while moving slowly over her. She smiled and ran one of her hands over his sweaty back while the other grabbed his necklace to pull him to her lips. They both jumped a little as her mobile somewhere on the floor started ringing.

"Ah crap," she cursed, looking apologetic up at the man over her before leaning over the side of the bed, stretching out for her mobile.

"Hello? Bethany? I'm a little busy here... with what? Uh? Sex with a Greek God," Trish looked over her shoulder and winked at Dean. Dean smiled back, but he was frowning so much it looked like he was in pain. Trish seemed to notice it, but the voice on the other line caught her attention back,

"Seriously?" Trish sighed loudly,

"I knew I should have _done him_."  
Again Dean frowned and this time he sat up in bed. He looked for his clothes and realized their clothes were scattered all over the room. He got out of bed, went for his boxers first, then his socks, pants and finally his shirt.

"Where you going?" Trish had tossed her mobile back onto the floor and was sitting up in bed, blanket around her body.

"Uh, I have to go. Up early tomorrow," his eyes again ran over the woman and he almost whined out loud.

"You're not making it easy though," he admitted, completely taken by the beautiful woman.

"It's already late," she smiled, holding out her hand to him. Dean took a step towards her before the voice in the back of his head screamed at him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Damnit. I'm sorry. I really need to go. Long drive tomorrow too," Dean found his jacket and headed for the door.

"Alright. It was nice meeting you," Trish smiled mischievously.

"Right back at you," Dean winked before leaving the room, putting on his shoes quickly and was soon on his way back to the motel.

* * *

Dean whistled as he walked past the doors on the motel, their door being at the very end. He stopped whistling as soon as he opened the door to their room. The ceiling lights were on and Sam stretched out on his stomach on his bed - one leg hanging off the side - still fully clothed. Dean frowned once, but shook it off as he closed the door behind him and stripped down to his boxers and shirt.

"Sam?" Dean whispered, pushing some dark hair strands away from his brother's eyes Dean breathed out when he realized Sam was just sleeping.

"How much did you have to drink?" Dean asked, not expecting an answer since his brother was obviously in a deep sleep. He removed Sam's jacket and carefully lifted his leg back up on the mattress.

"Just a big baby," Dean snorted before heading over to his own bed.

"Night night," Dean mumbled into the pillow - falling asleep before a minute had passed.

* * *

By the time Dean woke up the next morning, the bed beside him was empty and he figured Sam had probably went out to buy some breakfast. He took a quick shower and had just gotten dressed when Sam returned with bags of food.

"Let's take that on the road," Dean grabbed one of the food bags, his bag full of clothes and headed out to the Impala. Sam shrugged and followed. He hurried over to the lobby to return the key before returning to the car.

"So," Sam said between bites,

"Where did you go last night?"  
Dean's grin widened as he steered the Impala onto the road, a piece of sandwich in hand,

"Ah, sorry about that. This smokin' hot girl came over to me when you left the table and... well. I went home with her," Dean confessed, smiling around the sandwich.

"Dean..." Sam started on his usual whining tone, until he stopped up completely,

"Really?" he turned to Dean with one eyebrow higher than the other.

"What? It's not like it's the first time that happened. And that chick was hot, I'm telling you. Not even a gay guy would say no to that," Dean swallowed the piece of food in his mouth and whistled.

"You didn't..." Sam started asking, stopping himself, but Dean just looked over at him innocently.

"Didn't what?" Dean wiggled his eyebrows.

"Sleep with her?" Sam got a weird feeling growing inside him.

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy. Just because you don't get lucky as often doesn't mean I don't," Dean teased, but then his face lit up when he remembered something,

"Oh wait, that bar chick some months ago. I wasn't lying. Good job, bro."  
Sam groaned loudly and rolled his eyes,

"Dean! Shut up for a second, okay?"  
Dean held his hands up in surrender for a second before placing them back on the wheel,

"What is it, Grumpy?" Dean blinked once when his vision suddenly blurred before returning to normal.

"Well, remember that girl you said was looking at me last night?" Sam looked at his brother for any recognition of what he was saying and got it. Dean's face lit up again, but he bit his bottom lip from commenting and just nodded.

"Well she came into the men's room last night and..." Sam trailed off, not really sure if he was just overreacting.

"What?" Dean laughed out loud now and slapped Sam on the thigh,

"And?" he urged on.

"And what?" Sam asked back annoyed.

"Did you sleep with her?" Dean went from snickering to confused. Not sure whether he was supposed to be proud or annoyed that his brother was making such a big deal with him sleeping with a stranger when he did the same thing.

"What? NO! Dean! We were at the bar!" Sam sighed loudly.

"So?"

"So it's a public place?"

"Prude."

"Dean!" Sam glared at Dean until his brother stopped smirking,

"She tried though. But it was weird. Once she touched me I got all... dizzy..." Sam explained.

"She was pretty hot too," Dean said nonchalantly.

"That's not what I mean. It was like she was... controlling me. Kinda," Sam admitted, blushing a bit because he knew exactly how his brother would take that.

"Hoooot," Dean laughed shortly, but his smirk vanished when he realized what his brother was telling him was kind of matching up with what happened with him and Trish. He turned to look at his brother,

"That's kinda what happened to me," Dean admitted.

"What?" Sam's voice was raspy suddenly and coughed once.

"When Trish - uhm that girl I was with, came over - once she touched me everything turned fuzzy for a second," Dean explained,

"Did you catch your girl's name?"

"She's not my girl. And no," Sam muttered.

"Someone called Trish last night while we... and she told the person on the other end of the line that she should have done 'him'," Dean blinked again, bringing his thumb and index finger up to rub his eyes.

"You think there's a connection? Maybe... maybe they dru-" Sam started coughing again.

"Sam?" Dean looked over to where his brother sat, but the blurry sight wouldn't go away now. He could just make out Sam raising his arm before he turned back to see where he was driving. Suddenly he felt another pair of hands grabbing the wheel, steering the Impala around a sharp turn. Quickly everything turned black and Dean wondered for a second if he had passed out until he realized he was still thinking and moving. The Impala's wheels squealed before a crash was heard, a window broke and the car stood still. Dean sat dead quiet for what seemed like forever before he brought his hands up to his eyes again. He winced when his fingers touched his eyes instead of the eyelids. He blinked and blinked, but nothing changed. Everything was black.

"Oh my god," fear grew in his chest as he let his hands fall on everything around him. The wheel, the car door, his legs, seat,

"I'm blind!" he cried stupidly and now searched with both his hands for Sam.

"SAM?" Dean's left hand landed on Sam's and grabbed it and pulled, but he got no response back. Dean then remembered the sound of breaking glass and started pulling himself across the bench seat to where Sam was sitting.

"Sam?" Dean could feel Sam's hand move and all, but why the hell wasn't he getting any response? He placed his right hand down, a bit nervous seeing as he didn't know where it would land. He frowned when it landed on Sam, but he wasn't sure where and he really didn't want to feel up his brother.

"Okay, dude. Please say something," Dean breathed out in relief when Sam shifted and he realized his hand was just resting on Sam's thigh. He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder and realized it was Sam's other hand.

"Dude, I'm holding your hand here. How chick flicky are you trying to get it," that served him a slap over his head.

"Ouch! What's wrong with you?" Dean lifted his own arm to rub his head, but Sam's hand grabbed it and brought it to himself. He started clumsily pressing Dean's hand against his throat which only caused Dean to shut up completely, trying to figure what the hell was going on. It hit him like lightening from a blue sky,

"You can't talk!" he realized and he felt Sam nod against his hand. Dean brought his hand to rest on the side of Sam's neck, making it easier for him to know when Sam was answering him with a nod or a head shake.

"Can you see?" he wondered and Sam nodded,

"Thank god. What happened?" he felt Sam's head tilt a bit before stopping, knowing his brother was probably glaring at him,

"Oh right. Just 'yes' or 'no' questions. Are you hurt?" Dean wondered, frowning a bit. It took a few seconds before Sam shook his head and Dean wasn't sure if he should believe that. He knew Sam well enough that he would lie to keep his big brother from worrying. Dean leaned over Sam, reaching with a hand to where the window should be.

"Damnit, you crashed my car! Is that a branch sticking through the window?" Dean looked in the direction he assumed Sam's face was. He felt a little nod before Sam pushed at him. A door creaked open and Sam moved out - avoiding the branch.

"Sam?" Dean felt frustration build up in him at his utter uselessness. They had obviously crashed, but he had no idea how bad because he couldn't see a freaking thing and Sam couldn't talk! Then he heard a thump on the side of the car, then another further back. Sam kept knocking on different parts of the car until he was on the other side. Dean knew Sam was just letting him know where he was.

"Hey, you're not driving!" Dean heard his door open and then Sam pushing him over to the passenger's seat. As soon as Sam was behind the wheel, Dean reached out to put his hand on his brother's neck again.

"Is the car drivable?" he asked and Sam nodded.

"You don't see double?" Sam shook his head now. Dean removed his hand now, but regretting it. Not seeing anything now made Sam his only root to where the hell he was. His guide dog.

"Hah, Sammy. You're my guide dog," Dean snorted and he could almost feel Sam's glare on him,

"You know, it's funny since you're a puppy," that earned him another slap over the head. Then he felt Sam grab his hand and put something in it.

"What?" he jumped a bit when another voice appeared in the car.

"Bobby?" he turned his head as to look behind him, but Sam turned his head back and brought his hand up to his ear.

"DEAN?" a gruff voice called out and Dean realized it was coming from the phone.

"Bobby? Hey!" he wasn't really sure what the hell to say.

"What have you boys gotten yourselves into now?" Bobby sighed on the other line of the phone.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Dean faked innocence although he knew Bobby could see right through him - even on phone.

"Fine. We met some chicks the other night - oh man was she fine."

Dean shook his head to focus again.

"Anyway I think they might have... uhm... how can I say this? Cursed us or something."

"And what makes you think that?" Bobby asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Well, I can't see anything and Sam can't talk. Oh and we crashed the car, but apparently it's still drivable," Dean explained. Bobby was quiet on the other line for so long Dean started to fear what the older hunter was going to say.

"I swear the two of you are going to be the death of me," Bobby muttered,

"Where the hell are you?"

"Uhm, I think about two hours from your place. At least that's what it would take to drive from the motel we were staying at and we hadn't driven for more than ten minutes when we crashed," Dean explained.

"Alright. Can you get here safely? Sam can still see right?" Bobby wondered.

"Yeah, he's a little banged up... I think, but he seems intent on driving," he said,

"Can you try to look up anything about what might have happened and how the hell to fix this?"

"Yeah. Just get your asses over here safely," and with that Bobby hung up and Sam started up the car. All Dean could do was to trust Sam would keep them on the road and remember the way to Bobby's.

* * *

Sam was freaking out and it didn't make it any better that he couldn't voice his distress. He knew Dean probably didn't believe him when he said he wasn't hurt. It seemed like he had lost his voice at the same time as Dean lost his sight since the Impala had started to fishtail over the road, giving Sam no other choice but to grab the wheel and stop them from crashing front first into a tree. Sam had breathed out in relief a second too soon because the sudden turn had only made them crash sideways into another tree, branch breaking through the window - just avoiding Sam's head. Sam felt good enough to drive though, and the car had only suffered a bashed window and big dent in the car door - nothing that couldn't be fixed. Of course, Dean still was going to freak.

"So... this is awkward," Dean said and Sam turned to look at his brother. He looked bored. And a little stupid looking right into the dashboard.

"How much farther do we have to go? I want to find out what the hell is going on," Dean turned his head in the direction of Sam, and his blind eyes actually met Sam's for a second. Of course unseeing, but Sam couldn't help getting amused that Dean knew so correctly where Sam's eyes would be.

"Hey, we need to find a way to communicate with you mute and me blind. Two knocks or nudges means 'yes' and one nudge is 'no' okay? So I don't need to freakin' touch you all the time," Dean smiled and Sam laughed though it just came out like a rush of air, liking the idea.

"Okay, good. I hope we're at Bobby's soon," Dean repeated and soon after he felt five fingers poking his shoulder.

"What?" Dean frowned. Again Sam placed his hand on Dean's shoulder with the tips of his fingers into his brother's jacket.

"Five minutes?" Dean suggested and this time Sam knocked his hand two times on the shoulder,

"Hah! Brilliant," Dean smiled despite the situation. At least the two of them still managed to communicate a little.  
And so, five minutes later the black Impala came to a halt outside Bobby's house in the large Salvage yard.

"We're there?" Dean wondered, patting his way to the door handle. Sam just nodded since Dean already was on his way out the car.

"So how was it again? You're blind and Dean's mute?" Bobby had his hands in his pants pockets, looking ever so humored.

"Try the other way around, grandpa," Dean said and Sam just nodded, going over to Dean to help him walk without falling.

"Watch it, idjit," Bobby came closer and clapped Dean on the shoulder,

"I was hoping Sam was the one talking," he joked and Sam grinned at that. Sam nudged Dean in the side while they headed into the house.

"Oh yeah. Have you found anything?" Dean asked, holding so tight onto Sam's upper arm with both hands, afraid of crashing to the floor with his dignity. Bobby sighed loudly as he headed into his living room, right over to one of the many dusty shelves filled with books. One book was already lying open on top of it.

"Yep sure did," he said, not waiting for the brothers to join him, but smirking at the comical sight of the two clumsily trying to get their jackets off. Soon enough Sam came into the room with Dean still clutching his arm,

"I'd need more information to be sure," Bobby looked over to Dean just as Sam sat him down in a chair.

"Uh. Well, we were at the bar last night and these two chicks came over. They were smokin'!" Dean said with a prideful smile and meant to wink at Bobby, but ended up winking to the wall instead.

"And...?" Bobby asked impatiently,

"What happened? Did she touch you?"

"She sure did," Dean snorted before trying wipe the smile off his face. Bobby just groaned and started looking through the book again.

"Did you experience anything strange while you were with her?" Bobby asked. He stopped looking through the book and turned to Sam. Sam nodded and tapped his temple.

"Uh yeah, she touched my neck and everything got blurry for a moment, but I thought it was just the alcohol. Then it was like I couldn't fully control myself," Dean explained and Sam nodded, confirming the story.

"I thought you were better than this, idjits. I thought maybe you were dealing with a siren or something, but now I'm thinking witches," Bobby explained, looking from one brother to the other,

"There are different kinds of witches of course, so it's impossible for me to tell you these ones' agenda, but I assume they cursed you through..." Bobby bit his bottom lip, the silence in the room awkward,

"Sex?" Bobby loved the boys, but there were things that really weren't on his list of top topics to talk about with them. Bobby then noticed Sam frown and then shake his head.

"Sam didn't sleep with anyone," Dean sounded rather bashful now, playing with his fingers in his lap.

"So. You did," Bobby looked at Dean,

"But you didn't?" and then at Sam, who nodded rather proud of himself,

"That doesn't add up."

"Well unless Sam's too prideful to admit what really happened," Dean smirked, receiving a punch on his shoulder.

"Okay, that's enough. I swear you two are like kids in your minds," Bobby ran a hand over his face,

"Maybe it's just through touch then or a kiss. Did she kiss you?" he asked Sam and it was Sam's turn to look a little bashful. Bobby didn't say anything more to that and continued to look through his book.

"So... What happens now?" Dean asked, rubbing the back of his head, again feeling useless.

"Well I guess I'll try to figure out a plan, try to call up some friendly hunters and I'll get back to you okay? Meanwhile you idjits stay in the house," Bobby explained and Sam went over to Dean to help him out of the room. Dean started running his hand up Sam's arm, creeping the younger man out. Finally Dean reached Sam's head and tried to look for any bleeding wounds. Sam batted at Dean's hand without luck. Bobby understood that the youngest Winchester wanted him to tell Dean to back off and that he was unharmed, but for some reason didn't feel like doing it and would much rather let the boys figure it out on their own.

* * *

When Bobby went to look for the two Winchesters that same evening, the boys were trying to communicate and watch T.V. Sam didn't seem to notice him so Bobby just stood in the door watching the two.

"What happens now then?" Dean tapped Sam on the arm and received a nudge back,

"There's no way 'no' can be an answer to that, Sammy. I thought I taught you better than that," Dean snorted when he felt Sam's bitch face on him again. It wasn't before then that Sam noticed Bobby in the doorway and tapped Dean once on the shoulder before turning his big brother's head towards the door.

"Bobby?" Dean asked out to the room. Bobby wasn't surprised to see that the boys seemed to be able to communicate in some way with each other despite not seeing or hearing one another.

"Yep," Bobby announced his presence,

"I swear I haven't seen you two all that touchy feely since last week," Bobby joked.

"Ha-ha, It's not like we have any other choice. I kind of like to know where I have my Sasquatch brother so I don't risk setting him loose on innocent people," Dean said mock-seriously and Sam just shook his head and palmed his face,

"You have some news or did you just come to mock us?" Dean wondered, smiling tiredly.

"I do. I've managed to get a hold of Ellen, Jo and Rufus. Rufus will be here sometime during the night, but Ellen and Jo have some way to travel so they wont be here until late morning," Bobby explained,

"I assume you two want your speech and sight back as soon as possible so we'll go as soon as the girls get here."

"Cool. Do we know how to kill them?" Dean asked.

"Well there's different ways for every witch, but the most common way is to torch them," Bobby pointed over his shoulder at some bottles of Molotov stashed on a shelf.

"Do you have anything we can burn them with?" Dean asked and Sam grinned amused.

"If you could see, you would see a whole bunch of Molotov's ready for action," Bobby revealed and Dean just nodded, biting his bottom lip.

"Why is it always the hot ones that are crazy?" Dean sighed dramatically. Neither Bobby or certainly not Sam had any answer to that.

"So anyway stay in the house until we're back okay?" Bobby turned to leave when Dean's yelp stopped him.

"Hey, hey, hey, what? We're coming along!" Dean said seriously and Sam nodded in agreement,

"We're the only ones who knows what they look like too. Besides, we're a team, we can do it," Dean held up his hand to high five Sam. Sam just eyed the hand for a moment before shrugging and clasping it.

"Idjits," was all Bobby had to say to that before leaving the room.

* * *

Dean wasn't really sure when he woke, all he knew was that it was his little brother's hand on his shoulder. He would never admit it to a single living soul but the constant blackness was starting to terrify him. The only reason he hadn't freaked out was because of Sam. First of all his brother had lost his ability to talk and although Dean would have traded blindness for being mute any day, he doubted it was a joy for Sam either.

"Sam?" Dean sat up, rubbing his unseeing eyes. He felt two light knocks on his shoulder and snorted,

"Time for some hot bitches to get extra hot huh?" Dean did enjoy killing evil bitches, but it did really suck to kill off that hot chick.  
Dean had left his pants on when going to bed, sparing both him and his brother an embarrassing scene. The boys made their way down the stairs, Sam being patient while Dean clutched his arm on the way down.

"You boys take longer than my grandmother," Dean recognized Rufus' voice the second he opened his mouth.

"Yeah, so?" Dean said. Rufus snickered before he impatiently returned to the kitchen.

"Did I ever tell you that the first time I met Rufus - every time I asked him something he just said "Yeah, so?" so many times I almost believed I was talking to a tape recorder," Dean told Sam as the two of them continued out of the house to sit there and wait for the girls. Sam shook a little and Dean realized his brother was laughing a little.  
They didn't need to wait long for the girls. Just as they sat down an old truck came into the salvage yard to join the Impala, as well as Rufus' and Bobby's cars.

"Is that Ellen and Jo?" Dean asked his brother and Sam nudged him twice on the shoulder.

"Hey Ellen! Jo! Looking mighty fine today!" Dean grinned wickedly, but got no response. The two sat there awkwardly before Dean spoke again,

"They haven't gotten out of the car yet have they?" he leaned closer to Sam and whispered. He felt Sam's too long hair brush by his forehead once and assumed his was shaking his head.

"Hey boys, let's go. The girls want to leave at once. Rufus you drive with me?" Bobby came out of the house with Rufus in tow.

"I packed your car for you," Bobby explained to the boys as they headed to the cars.

"Thanks Bobby," Dean nodded in the direction he heard Bobby while Sam checked the trunk. Satisfied with what Bobby had put in there, he closed it and led Dean to the passenger seat, ignoring his brother's bitching about the broken window. He jumped a little when Jo suddenly stood there.

"Hey, Sam," she smiled sweetly, but looking a little ashamed too,

"Heard what those witches did."  
Sam smiled friendly back, scratching the back of his neck and nodding.

"Anyway I didn't get the chance to apologize for what happened back when War was in town..." Jo said and Sam was already shaking his head,

"I honestly thought you were possessed. Rufus did too."  
Sam smiled and nodded his head, clapping Jo on the shoulder. Assured that everything was fine between them, Jo returned to her mother and Sam got into the Impala.

* * *

They had about five minutes left of the drive when one car after the other suddenly died. The Impala was in the front and first to stop, then Ellen's car and finally Bobby's car. They steered the cars onto the side of the road beside a huge field.

"Why are we stopping?" Dean asked, sitting up in the seat knowing they had been driving too fast to suddenly stop like this. Dean then remembered Sam's inability to speak and opened the car door.

"What the hell man?" Rufus voice was clear and loud as always. Everyone except Dean looked around themselves, but nothing except the road, a forest on one side of the road and the field on the other side was in clear view. Sam could spot the outlines of the town they were heading to on the other side of the field. He squinted when he saw two people out in the field and patted Dean on the shoulder and pointed for the others to see.

"Is it them?" Bobby asked, squinting at two girls, one blond and one red head. Sam nodded.

"What? Where are they?" Dean heard the trunk of the Impala open and felt his way along his car to join Sam.

"Hey, maybe you shouldn't carry a weapon, Dean?" Jo teased and took a Molotov bottle from Dean,

"Don't want to risk torching one of us right?"  
Sam seemed to agree and pulled Dean away when he tried to sneak a Molotov bottle into his jacket. Bobby, Rufus and Ellen were already out in the field - trying to sneak up on the witches without much luck. Once they were close enough to throw bottles at them the girls would vanish. By the time Sam and Dean had gotten far enough into the field, there were patches of grass on fire as the result of missed Molotov's. Sam could see Jo and Bobby together closer to the cars while Ellen was quite far away and Rufus was running screaming across the field with a Molotov in hand.

"Can you see them?" Dean asked with a hand on Sam's neck so they didn't loose focus on nudging each other. Sam shook his head and turned around again for the tenth time. Suddenly, his head snapped back by a force hitting him. He grunted and was pulled away from Dean.

"SAM!" Dean suddenly felt more helpless than ever without his brother. He could hear Sam grunt in pain again and then a female voice.

"Sure took you a while," Trish teased from where she was standing. She watched with a satisfied smile as a man under her control punched Sam in the face, quickly followed by more hard punches. Blood was pouring from the side of Sam's face, nose and split lip by the time the youngest Winchester collapsed in the field.

"BOBBY!" Dean yelled when he got no answer from Sam. He heard shouting from all directions now, then a shot and the guy that had attacked Sam fell to the ground too.  
Trish dashed forward and grabbed Dean, pulling him down in the high grass.

"Hey, there," she whispered in his ear and he elbowed her in the face, catching her by surprise. She gasped in pain and Dean threw himself blindly at her, pressing her into the ground with his own body.

"Oh this is just like when we first met huh?" she laughed at him. She turned her head trying to look for Bethany, but her blond friend was out of sight. They had agreed to split, Trish going after the Winchesters while Bethany took care of the girls.

"What did you do to my brother?" he had his hands around her throat, eyes unseeing, but not any less of a threat than a seeing hunter.

"Why don't you look for yourself... oh wait, you can't," she wheezed around a smile and brought her leg up and kicked him in the manly jewels. The pain overtook him and she easily pushed him off and got up. She wiped at her split lip and spit into the grass. She was about to do some real damage on the Winchester when she heard a shout behind her. She spun around and met eyes with Rufus.

"I knew rats were hard to catch, but you..." he growled and tossed his last bottle of Molotov at Trish. It hit her on the knee, but her clothes easily caught fire and she screamed out in pain.

Jo looked up when a high pitched scream pierced the field. She stared wide eyed as one of the witches caught fire. Blood was running from Jo's left temple, decorating her long blond hair with red, but it was just a superficial wound. It hurt like shit, but she was still standing.

"Didn't your mommy ever teach you not to turn your back in a fight?" Bethany wheezed in anger and charged at Jo, but before she could get to her, she felt a knife pierce through her chest from the back. She gasped in pain, but it became quickly obvious that a knife would not kill her.

"I could ask you the same thing," Ellen growled into the blonds ear,

"Why don't you smile and say bye bye?" the older woman hissed and drew out her knife again. She nodded at Jo and the young hunter threw her Molotov bottle at Bethany and hit her in the shoulder with it. Ellen smiled proudly at her daughter before they both ran towards Rufus. They halted in their run when they ran past the dead guy Bobby had shot from afar and then saw Sam lifeless in the high grass.

"Sam!" Jo knelt beside her friend and fellow hunter and checked for a pulse. Satisfied that Sam was alive, Ellen patted his slack face.

Dean grimaced in so much pain that it took him a second longer to realize his eyesight was slowly coming back. He backed off in surprise when he saw Trish collapse in flames into the grass.  
"I can see again!" he grabbed at his face happily, the pain in his groin quickly forgotten.

"You did it!" Dean saw Rufus first. By the proud look on the old hunter's face there was no doubt it was he who had torched Trish. Dean stood up and saw Bobby drop down in the grass where Jo and Ellen were.

"Oh, shit!" Dean suddenly remembered the painful grunts coming from Sam and the horrible sound of what had to be his brother getting punched. Dean ran clumsily through the high grass and Ellen moved away automatically when he arrived.

"Sam?" Dean could have cried out at the sight of his brother. Once finally able to see his brother again, he really wished it wouldn't be of him unconscious and bloody in some no-name field.

"He's alive and breathing. The man over there got in some really harsh punches though," Jo explained, wincing when her mother started fussing over her own head wound.

"Ah geez, it's always Sam!" Dean cursed and brought his little brother up in his arms. Sam's head rested against the crook of Dean's elbow, arm hanging limply to his side though one hand still had a slack hold of a Molotov bottle. Dean tried to carefully dry away the blood running from Sam's nose which resulted in the little brother frowning.

"Sam?" Dean held the side of his brother's face, not caring that his hand touched blood. Sam's eyes rolled unfocused over his brother's face and chest, trying to find something to focus on without much luck.

"Hey, I can get the truck over here. It'll be able to get through this grass I'm sure," Ellen explained and stood up. Jo wanted to stay with Sam and Dean, so Rufus went along with Ellen.

"No, Sam. Come on, stay awake. You're too heavy to carry," Dean tried to tease, but to no use. Sam's eyes rolled back into his head and the long body became limp again.

"Damnit," Dean cursed, looking up at Jo and hitched Sam higher up against his shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked Jo.

"Oh yeah. This? It's just a scratch," she reassured,

"That other witch bitch could hit. I got the final laugh though," she smiled proudly and pointed in the direction of where a small fire was still burning on the field.

"Good. Hopefully that means Sam's fine again too," Dean placed a hand on the back of Sam's neck to keep his brother to his shoulder, then smiled to Jo,

"You kick more ass than many guy hunters I've met," he snickered at her.

"Thanks, though I would have believed it more if I'd managed to dodge that bitch," Jo rolled her eyes, carefully tapping the side of her head.

"Just because you get hurt once in a while doesn't make you less of a hunter. Look at Sam, he's like the next best hunter in the world, but he gets hurt like 95% of the time," Dean smiled weakly and sighed, dipping his head down a bit to try and catch a glimpse of Sam's face. The blood had stopped running, but Sam's mouth was slack and open, evidence that he was still unconscious. It was always unnerving dealing with a limp Sam. Dean would never admit it, but he'd rather have smartass Sam than an unresponsive one.

"Guess there's a real good reason for the protectiveness huh?" Jo smiled sympathetic, stroking Sam's hand.

"Oh yeah. It's a full time job," Dean rolled his eyes.

"After I started hunting with my mom, she's been all over me for the smallest things," Jo laughed, looking over her shoulder to see how far her mom and Rufus had gotten. Their truck was just rolling into the field when she turned to watch.

"Here they come," Jo nodded sideways at the car. Dean nodded and Bobby helped him lift Sam into the backseat of the truck when it stopped beside them.

"You okay?" Bobby asked once Dean was seated with Sam lying across the seat, resting against his brother again. Bobby leaned on the roof of the car and peeked in at them,

"I'll take the Impala back with us. Rufus takes mine. No worries," Bobby winked to Dean. Jo got into the passenger seat beside her mother.

* * *

"Seriously, mom. I'm fine," Jo groaned in annoyance when Ellen finally stepped back, done cleaning up her daughter. They had returned back to Bobby's place and Rufus had already left. Jo was sitting in one of the sofa chairs while Sam was slumped on the sofa, long legs stretched over the floor under the table and head resting against the back of the sofa.

"Oh stop whining. Be glad you're not in Sam's position," Ellen winked at Dean who was still cleaning up Sam's bloody face.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Dean whined, looking over his shoulder to Jo who was shrugging now.

"Yeah I guess," Jo snickered and eyed Sam sympathetically.

"Don't worry, sweetie. It's just that you're even more of a mother hen than me," Ellen and Jo laughed now. Still laughing the girls left the room to get some food. Dean grumbled and Sam just weakly slapped his brother on the leg,

"Ignore em," Sam mumbled, keeping his eyes closed. For a rare change Sam didn't mind Dean fussing over him, probably because he was still so out of it, but also because despite being a bad ass hunter, his big brother was always good when it came to taking care of him.

"Hold still now. Got to stitch the cut on your head," Dean warned Sam before starting on the stitching part. Sam always hated getting stitches. Sure, it wasn't really on top of his list to get knocked out, punched, or to dislocate bones, but stitching had always been the one thing he hated the most.

"I can still taste the blood in my mouth," Sam mumbled, wincing when Dean made another stitch.

"I guess that's what you get when a man uses your head as a boxing bag," Dean said sympathetically,

"Hey, I never got to thank you. Well you've been out for a while too, but... thanks," Dean smiled honestly down at his brother as he finished the last stitch.

"For what?" Sam finally opened his eyes to look up at his brother, carefully probing the side of his face with a finger. His split lip was red, but stopped bleeding a long time ago - same with his nose. There were still smudges of blood on his face, but he looked a lot better than he had on the field.

"For being my faithful guide dog," Dean snickered when Sam glared at him this time, glad he could see it now because it was always fun teasing his brother.

"You're welcome. But I'm probably going to have bruises on my arm for the rest of the month," Sam teased back, sinking further into the sofa.

"Hey, maybe you should get to bed?" Dean suggested when Sam tipped sideways so he could lie on the sofa.

"Neh," Sam muttered.

"Neh?" Dean rolled his eyes as Sam lifted his legs onto the sofa and across Dean's lap.

"Mhm. Neh," Sam finally settled and Dean shrugged, sinking into the sofa too and put his legs onto the chair Jo had occupied earlier.

"Dean?" Sam asked sleepily.

"Yeah?" Dean asked back.

"Did you extinguish the fires in the field?" Sam wondered. There was a long break before Dean groaned loudly,

"Oh shit."

* * *

**Okay so that was it for today. You had to wait a while, but at least it was kinda long right? hehe.**

**Just one thing, I've tried posting the fic in a different way so it'll be easier to read. Do you like it this way better? I've never been too fond of writing/posting it that way, but if you guys prefer that, let me know! =)**


	19. Suicidal

Hola! See! See! It's even less then a week since previous chapter! lol. *SO proud* haha. Ah anyway I'm not so happy with this one, but at least I got something out. Thanks to Ravanne for helping me a lot with the medical stuff and obviously the other things needed to be fixed!  
_So obviously, lovely **Ravanne **was back in game, beta checking this chapter! =) Thank you!_

**

* * *

**

**S - Suicidal**

_- Alt. ending to "When the Levee Breaks" and "Lucifer Rising"_

Sam was shaking where he sat, his thoughts tumbling over each other, not making any sense. He'd bitten his nails until they bled. Running his hands through his hair anxiously, his eyes ran all over the honeymoon suite. Ruby said she was coming, but it felt as if hours had passed since he'd spoken with her. He pressed his eyes closed, pressing his face into his hands.

"God," he sobbed, tears running down his cheeks. He couldn't take it. He was sweaty, tired and felt so pathetically needy, but he couldn't ask anyone for help. He didn't deserve anybody's help, even if he'd known what help he needed. He don't know how long he sat on the couch waiting helplessly for Ruby to appear. His body tensed and he jumped to his feet. Sam paced about the room, feeling like a caged animal. He struggled not to let his frustration drive him to start trashing the room, his control hanging by a thread. He didn't dare draw attention to himself. His phone had been ringing so often he was starting to think it was going to drive him even more insane. Then when the ringing stopped, he wondered if the silence was worse.

Somewhere along the way Sam fell asleep on the couch. His long legs hung over the side, one arm flung over his head while his other rested across his chest. It was late in the evening when he woke up again and there was still no sign of Ruby. He sat up quietly, just sitting in the dark room and trying to ignore the whispering voices in his head. Deciding that Ruby wasn't coming, he stood up and rummaged through his duffle bag, finding his largest hunting knife. Biting his lip, Sam knew that he'd run out of options. Steeling himself for what he knew needed to be done, he walked into the bathroom, carrying his knife with him.

He went over to the large bathtub, designed to fit two honeymooners and turned on the water, running it as hot as he could stand. As the oversized tub slowly filled, Sam turned to the mirror over the marble sink and took a long and hard look at himself. He felt pent up rage burn in his chest seeing what he'd reduced himself to. His eyes were bloodshot, and his skin look so pale and pasty, his oily hair hanging limply about his drawn face.

He broke the eye contact with his reflection and looked down at the blade in his hand. He carefully placed it down on the vanity before clumsily pulling off his sweat stained shirt and threw it across the large bathroom. He turned around a little and saw for the first time the deep purple bruises on his back and ribs. Fake-Dean had told him in the panic room that the demon blood had tossed him around the room and apparently that had been the truth. Sam looked as if he'd been dragged over five miles of rough country road.

Sam forced his thoughts to the matter at hand. He knew what he needed to do and dawdling wouldn't make it any easier. He picked up the knife in the sink and pressed it to his throat, closing his eyes and steeling himself. He felt the cold blade on his skin and tracked it carefully along his neck, the tip of the knife tracing down the line of his jugular and breaking the skin. After all these months hunting down Lilith he never thought it would come to this. He hadn't expected to come out of this alive, but he never in his darkest nightmares thought he'd be reduced to this pitiful state. He had betrayed his brother and for what? A demon bitch that used him and clearly doesn't even give a shit about him?

He bit his lip, barely holding back the sobs that threatened to break free and opened his eyes. The long cut he had made on this neck and throat hurt, but it wasn't something that would kill him. It was deep enough to bleed a lot though and the blood ran down his chest and Sam followed it with his eyes in the reflection in the mirror. He knew that he had to finish the job. All he needed to do was climb into tub and deepen the cut.

He jumped a little when he heard a bang on the hotel room door and turned around. Suddenly his feet slipped under him and Sam fell backwards. Wasn't able to regain his balance and skidded on the wet tiles. For a fleeting moment he realized the tub must have been filled to overflowing. He didn't even have time to yelp as his knees hit the side of the tub and Sam's upper body fell right into the water. The back of his head hit the rim of the tub and the long body immediately went limp.

* * *

Dean felt his anger rise when nobody responded to his knocks on the door. He had managed to track Sam to what seemed to be the fanciest hotel that either of them had ever stayed in and receptionist had confirmed that a really tall man had checked into one of their honeymoon suites. He had to give Sam credit for trying, but Dean knew his brother too well. He knew how Sam would think and tracking him had actually been easier than he expected

He pushed down the door handle to the room down, relieved that it was unlocked. He frowned when he found the room empty and dark, but he spotted Sam's jacket flung carelessly over a chair and knew he was in the right room.

"Sam?" he called out and turned on the lights. He steeled himself for an attack, but there was no sight of dark haired demon or his gigantic brother. Then he heard the sound of running water and turned towards what he assumed was the bathroom and walked closer to it. The carpet by the door was soaked through and Sam's dirty shirt was wadded up into a soggy ball on the floor. He hesitated, knowing that he needed to get Sam out of there, but he didn't really want to drag his brother out of the shower buck naked if he didn't have to.

"Sam?" he called out again, growing uneasy when there was no answer. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't going to get attacked from behind. Satisfied that there was nobody behind him he stepped up to the bathroom door and immediately caught sight of several large drops of blood staining the marble sink. He nearly slipped, his boot heal skidding on the wet tiles. Dean quickly looked up to find the source of the water and froze in place.

"SAM!" he screamed when he saw the body in the tub just under water. Dean rushed over as quickly as he could and dug his hands into the water to grab the body. His heart was pounding furiously in his chest when he saw the pink tinge to the water spilling out of the tub.

"Oh my god," Dean muttered, trying to keep calm, but he began to grow desperate when he couldn't get a good hold on Sam's heavy body. He jumped into the tub, grabbing hold around Sam's chest and hauled him up. His little brother's head fell limply against his chest as Dean clumsily climbed out of the water, dragging Sam's limp weight. Dean noticed quickly that he felt no heartbeat against the hand pressed to Sam's chest and he saw more blood starting to run unchecked down Sam's soaked chest, onto Dean's hand.

"Come on!" Dean had trouble getting the larger body of his brother out of the tub and had to tug with all his strength to pull Sam's long legs free. Dean laid Sam down on the tiles and immediately pressed his ear down against Sam's bare chest, praying that his first impression was wrong. There was no mistaking though. Sam's chest was still.

"No, no, no, no." Dean was already crying as he carefully tilted Sam's head back, trying to ignore the blood mixing with the water on the floor. He pinched Sam's nose with one hand and leaned down to breath air into Sam's mouth twice, then turned to see if Sam's chest was rising and sighed loudly when it did. He moved a little down Sam's body and placed the heal of his hands just below the breast bone and started counting each compressions. Dean heard the door to the room open just as he finished the compressions.

"Hey! Help!" Dean shouted before leaning down to breathe for Sam again. Once done doing it twice he returned to do compressions, but jumped a bit when he saw the shape in the door. He groaned loudly. This was just what he needed.

"Of course it's you!" he shouted at Ruby. The demon actually looked quite shocked.

"What the hell did you do?" she gasped, hurrying over as Dean started the chest compressions again.

"Get help!" Dean choosed to ignore the demon's question. Now was not the time to start another fight with her. Luckily Ruby seemed more concerned with saving Sam's life than continuing the never-ending dispute with Dean and picked up her phone to call ambulance. Her voice was calm the whole while, but a line of worry was visible on her forehead. Dean returned to breathing for Sam, trying desperately not to panic. There was blood coming from somewhere in the back of his brother's head as well as a nasty cut on his neck and Dean felt himself chocking when he thought how Sam possibly could have gotten that wound. There was blood on his hands and there were his own bloody hand prints on Sam's chest. It sickened him, but he kept going more and more desperate every time Sam's chest didn't rise on its own.

Somewhere along the way Ruby knelt by Sam's head to help and Dean was about to tell her to get lost, but was unable to bring himself to turn away any help. He let his hand rest on Sam's chest as Ruby took over the breathing, pinching Sam's nose and locked her mouth over his. Suddenly Sam's body arched off the floor, water and blood coughed up out of his mouth as his body struggled to purge itself. Dean gripped his hands around Sam's slim waist and turned him on his side while Ruby had a secure grip on his head to keep him from being injured further. Dean had one hand on Sam's stomach and the other on his back, a smile spreading on his lips feeling his brother's body move. His happiness was short lived though when he realized Sam wasn't awake and the movements were more spasmodic twitchings. Ruby was stroking Sam's face, trying to coax him awake, but Dean was sure that it was well beyond just a harmless knock on the head.

Suddenly the door to the room burst open again and this time the newcomers were a very welcoming sight. Dean forced himself to step back and let the paramedics tend to his brother.

* * *

Dean sat in the waiting room, rubbing his hands anxiously, scratching his neck and tapping his feet on the floor. He had called Bobby and told him what happened. Ruby had vanished again and Dean couldn't bring himself to care. He wish he had gotten a chance to finish her off, but Sam needed him and committing murder, however justified in front of witnesses was never a good idea.

"Mr. Teller?"

Dean looked up so quickly it wouldn't have surprised him if he'd gotten a whiplash. The doctor that had taken care of Sam in the emergency room came towards him with a file in his hands.

"How is he?" Dean asked, swallowing hard.

"He's in his room now. Right now we've got his stabilized, but he's not out of danger yet. He's got a serious concussion and lost a lot of blood, but our primary concern was the drowning. We will be keeping a close eye on him during the night," the doctor explained.

"Okay," Dean nodded and sighed.

"Can you tell me what happened?" the doctor asked.

"I've already told some nurse when we got here. I found him in the bathtub not breathing. I did mouth to mouth and compressions then the ambulance arrived," Dean explained, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I heard there was a girl with you? Where is she now?" the doctor asked.

"Honestly. I have no idea. She comes and goes," Dean said.

"Is she your brother's girlfriend?"

"A fucking good friend..." Dean said under his breath.

"Excuse me?" the doctor questioned, his mouth drawing down in a sharp frown at Dean's words.

"Doctor, she's not important. I just need to know if my brother is going to be all right." Dean pushed the subject of Ruby away, not wanting more uncomfortable questions about the bitch. The Doctor paused a second before accepting Dean's request to change the subject.

"He had a deep wound on the back of his head which seems to be the source of most of the blood loss. It looks like he was either hit with something hard or…"

"Or he fell," Dean interjected.

"Yes. You said you found him in the bathtub which suggests he slipped and knocked his head on something on the way down. There's also some deep bruises on his back which might have been from the fall... but there was another wound that puzzles me," the Doctor studied Dean's face. Dean knew what the bruises was caused by and had seen the cut on Sam's throat too, but was silently hoping there was another explanation to how Sam might have gotten it.

"Mr. Teller. Has your brother ever shown any sign of depression? Any other times he might have possibly harmed himself?" the doctor asked, opening the chart and writing something down before looking up at him again. Dean wanted to deny the suggestion, but knew that he couldn't be completely honest to do so. He had no way of knowing just how bad things had gotten for Sam while he was in Hell, and he couldn't ignore the state Sam had been in lately.

"He's had a rough year, but... Doc, if he was trying to kill himself, wouldn't he had cut his wrists? That would make more sense than him trying to cut his throat," Dean said, trying to act clueless to keep the doctor from becoming suspicious about him or the circumstances surrounding Sam's injuries.

"Usually in serious suicide attempts you would see cutting of the wrists or ankles to maximize blood loss, but cutting his own throat in this manner can be a sign of stronger desperation to end his own life. It's not unusual for people in deeply depressed or suicidal states to commit acts of self-mutilation as preludes to more serious efforts to end their lives," the Doctor explained gently, giving Dean a sympathetic look as he struggled to absorb the reality of what had happened. Dean bent his head and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger, struggling to hold back his tears.

"Can I see him?" Dean almost whispered.

The doctor nodded. "I'll show you to his room. I do need to warn you though… The sight of your brother might be a bit disturbing. Seeing a loved one in this position is never easy. He has a machine giving him assistance in breathing. We've got him hooked up to IV he's been receiving blood to bring his volume back up to more normal levels. He's also been patched up and still quite pale. But as bad as he looks, I'm cautiously optimistic that he will make a full physical recovery."

Dean was left alone door to Sam's room, and it took him several minutes before he could build up his courage to step inside. The first thing heard was the beeping sound from the machine monitoring his brother's heartbeats, and then the pumping of another machine forcing oxygen into Sam's lungs. The doctor hadn't lied; Sam looked like hell. Not only had he been through an unsuccessful detox, but then ended up trying to kill himself. Sam was white as the sheet, a gauze decorated his throat and his head was bandaged too. Then there were all those IVs. He stood silently beside Sam's bed, almost afraid to touch his brother.

"God what have you done to yourself, Sammy?" It wasn't really a question. Just a statement of the obvious. Dean took a light hold around Sam's wrist and carefully stroked the pale skin with a thumb. He felt the beat of Sam's pulse beneath his finger, reassuringly strong despite Sam's condition.

"I really don't get it, Sam. I know every thing's been screwed up. I've been screwed up too and could have been a better brother I guess, but when have I ever given you a reason to trust a demon over me? A demon, Sam! I know the supernatural world isn't as black and white as it used to be before Gordon came into the picture, but a demon, Sam!" He inhaled deeply, trying to compose himself. "For a college student… for a Winchester you should know better." Dean couldn't look at Sam. He was still so angry at him, but he knew that no matter how ready he was to wipe the floor with his brother, now was not the time to harp on this. Not when Sam was in the condition he was in.

"I…" Dean started, but didn't really know what to say so he shut is mouth again and sat down in a chair by his brother's bed.

* * *

It was five days before Sam woke up completely. By that time Sam had cracked Dean's weak spot without even doing anything. Dean's anger was still there, days sitting at Sam's beside had given him time to really consider what he and Bobby had talked about what to do when Sam woke up. They cooked up a story that would put Sam on suicide watch and Ruby wouldn't be able to get to him. Dean and Bobby would make sure of that. Dean would be there with Sam the whole time, fully aware of the final seal was the only one left. Bobby had continued hunting and found out that Lilith would open Lucifer's Cage in a convent in Ilchester, not more then an half hour drive from the hospital.

* * *

"You're not angry with me?"

Dean frowned at the question he sat with Sam in the hospital room. Sam was much better, but because of being under suicide watch he couldn't leave.

"I could ask you the same question."

Sam twitched a bit once in a while which Dean suspected might have something to do with the lack of demon blood.

"I mean about getting you stuck in suicide watch," Dean continued, studying his brother's face carefully.

"Well it sure was sneaky of you to do that while I was unconscious, unable to defend myself," Sam complained, pouting sullenly. "So I'm not exactly happy with you either."

Dean smiled sadly once before looking down in his lap,

"It wasn't really wrong to do it though. That cut on your throat wasn't accidental was it?" He looked up at Sam again and this time his brother looked down.

"We've already talked about this..." Sam started, but Dean cut him off.

"I talked. You were lucky enough to get cut off by the doctor coming into the room," Dean reminded him. Sam shrugged and probed at the gauze on his throat. The head wound was healing and the spot where they had to shave a bit of Sam's hair was hidden nicely enough by the rest of the long hair.

"Look at me, Dean. You can't tell me... it wouldn't have been for the best." Sam looked at Dean with the most mournful puppy eyes possible, not even aware that he was doing it.

"Stop saying that, Sam! Taking your own life the coward's way out!" Dean stood up and went over to where Sam was seated at a table. He planted both of his hands on the table and looked down at Sam, taking advantage of standing over him at the moment.

"What the hell happened to going after Lilith? You planned doing it as a ghost?" Dean's voice almost came off as mocking and Sam's eyes wavered from Dean's a moment before returning to meet them.

"I wouldn't have been strong enough anyway," Sam muttered, forcing himself to keep the eye contact with his brother. It truly felt as if he was an open book then with Dean's eyes studying his own.

"Which Ruby could help you with," Dean guessed right and Sam just nodded.

"But she didn't come even though she promised," Sam finally broke the eye contact and looked down on his hands again. Dean frowned again and tilted his head a little. There's no knowing what an addict will do when refused what he wants. The suicide attempt suddenly made a little more sense. Ruby had come though, but apparently running a little late. He looked at his brother and came to a conclusion. Since Sam had been unconscious when Ruby finally came he didn't know that she had showed up. He could use that to his advantage.

"That's what you get for trusting a demon," Dean muttered and sat down. It was harsh, but right now that's what Sam needed. Sam wasn't going to get better by being soft with him. Sam didn't say anything but nodded a fraction.

"I swear, I could kick your ass ten days from Sunday for running away. But the one you decided to put your trust in let you down, Sam. She doesn't give a rat's ass about you. If she did she wouldn't have let you wait, leave you hanging," Dean said, trying to play on the doubt that Sam had to be feeling. "I hate the bitch, but I don't buy one second that she's that stupid that she doesn't know how you would be when not getting what she had been feeding you!"

Dean felt his anger rising again and leaned back against the chair to take a deep breath. He knew Sam would get pissed if he found out of was lying about Ruby not coming, but right now he'd take a pissed off Sam then the demon's sidekick. Technically he wasn't really lying. Ruby had kept him hanging for too long Sam thought she wouldn't come.

"I know," Sam whispered and looked up at Dean again. "But I still need to stop Lilith."

Dean nodded at that.

"But not with her. Why won't you trust me?" Dean's voice came off more hurting then he intended, but wasn't really possible for him to hide the pain he'd been carrying around. Sam swallowed hard and looked up at the ceiling, blinking tears away.

"I trust you. I just... I..." He bit his bottom lip and looked down again so that two tears ran down along his nose.

"You think I'm not capable of it. I'm weak," Dean suggested, using Sam's very words and Sam closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I never meant weak like that. Man, you came back from Hell and here you are trying to keep me from doing stupid things. It's just when it comes to Lilith... she sent you to Hell. I couldn't just let that go," Sam explained and Dean's face softened a fraction.

"Well I'm back, Sam. Been for a while. I know I'm not the same person I was before I went to Hell, but that doesn't mean I don't have brains enough to help you. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean I'm weak," Dean said, studying Sam's face again as their eyes met again.

Sam just nodded silently. Dean was quiet for a few seconds, noticing the growing frown on Sam's forehead for what the response back would be.

"I am," Sam whispered, looking very lost and ashamed.

"In a way, yes," Dean said seriously, meaning every word. "I mean, obviously it makes you strong when it comes to the powers, but the whole desperation for demon blood...?" Dean trailed off, knowing Sam would know what he meant.

"It's pathetic," Sam mumbled, not disagreeing.

"Yeah well there's nothing beautiful about addictions. I just wish you'd let the right one help you. I know your time when I was in Hell wasn't a dance on roses, but man. How could it be so bad you'd thrust a demon?" Dean asked, almost desperate for an answer.

"It was. How did you feel when I died, Dean? I might be the one who ran away when I was young, the one who got to go to college, but you're my big brother, Dean. Just because you got this weird ass belief that big brothers know everything and deserve less then little brothers, doesn't make it so," Sam looked both almost humored and desperate at the same time now,

"Why the hell do you think even the Trickster said my weakness would be the death of me too?"

Dean sat completely silent, honestly moved by Sam's words. Words he hadn't ever thought he'd ever hear from Sam again. It had been so long since they were able to talk to one another like this.

"You're almost right I guess," Dean said, making Sam tilt his head a bit in confusion.

"Big brothers do know better. It's true. Look it up bookworm."

The room was suddenly unnaturally quiet before Sam laughed shortly and shook his head.

"Actually that was like the only right thing about what I said. Don't you know? Lying is my new 'thing'?" Sam joked, but shut his mouth, unsure of how Dean would take it.

"Idiot," Dean snickered before settling back in the chair again.

"Does that mean you'll come with me this time and not that bitch?" Dean asked hopefully. Sam's face fell sad again before nodding,

"Yeah," he said in a whisper and Dean leaned over to grab Sam's hand.

"Good. That's the only thing I've wanted this whole year. We'll figure this out, Sam," Dean reassured his brother.

Suddenly the whole room shook, just like a little shudder, but not normal for any house.

"What the hell?" Dean stood up. He heard noise from the corridors from apparently just as surprised doctors and patients.

"Dean," Sam's voice made Dean look back at his brother. Sam was standing by the window staring at something out of sight for Dean so he hurried over. There in the far distance they saw a beam of light shooting right up into the sky.

"What the hell is that?" Sam squinted towards the bright light. The earth was still shaking a little under their feet and the lights were blinking.

"Oh no," Dean gasped.

"That's in the direction of the Convent," he muttered and turned to Sam.

"What? It can't be!" Sam pushed against the secured window as if that would do any good. Neither of the boys had seen anything like it before, but there was no doubt what would create something like that.  
"Maybe it's just how...uhm... Lilith dies?" Dean suggested which only served him a skeptical look from Sam,

"I know. Unlikely."

They jumped when there was a knock on the door to the room and the door opened. In came Ruby, her top covered in blood and a long blade in her hand.

"I see you're up, Mr. No-show," she said to Sam.

"Look who's talking," Sam spat back. Dean didn't wait for their argument to turn uglier and pulled out Ruby's own knife from the back of his pants.

"What did you do?" Dean stopped when he had the knife against her throat. She just titled her head and raised her eyebrows,

"Noticed the beam of light out there? That was Lucifer getting out of his cage. Thanks to you, short bus, I couldn't get to Sam to stop him," she explained and looked over to Sam.

"Maybe you should have kept your word then. I was waiting for you!" Sam came to stand beside Dean.

"I did come, but apparently you decided to go emo on me right when it was time to get Lilith," she sneered in his face, but Dean pressed the knife tighter against her throat.

"You shut up, right now," he threatened her.

"No, I'm sick of your childish bitching," she drew her arm back and brought her fist right into the side of his face, sending him flying back against the wall.

"No!" Sam looked confused, but wasn't late to react when Ruby punched his brother. Ruby was quicker though and grabbed his throat and pulled him with her until he was pressed against the wall.

"How did Lucifer escape?" he winced. Ruby's face softened and the hand on his throat reached up to stroke his face instead. The sudden change, from violence to gentleness left Sam even more confused.

"What happened with killing Lilith?" he turned his head away from her, but she continued stroking his face.

"I did that. Well, with some help from others and Lilith herself. You see, Dumbo, when we realized you were a no-show we had to do it ourselves. I just left out the part where killing Lilith was the last seal, not her breaking it," she told him as if there was nothing to worry about.

Sam closed his eyes when he took in what she told him. When he opened his eyes again he saw Dean sneaking up on Ruby from behind with her knife in hand.

"You lying bitch. I can't believe you," he whispered then grabbed hold of her arms just as Dean drove the knife into her back. She gasped and stared at Sam before the demon in the host exploded inside her. Dean sneered as he ripped the knife out and Sam let the body hit the floor.

"Finally!" Dean sighed loudly. "I've been dreaming about that since the first time I met the bitch!" He smirked a bit, but Sam just sunk down to the floor and hid his head in his arms. Dean knelt down by his brother.

"It's okay, Sam," he rubbed the back of his brother's neck while looking around the room and to where the surveillance camera was. They had to get out of here now. They had just witnessed them killing Ruby.

"How can helping letting Lucifer out of his cage be okay?" Sam looked up at Dean until his eyes shifted to something behind his brother.

"Cas?" Sam frowned, but didn't have time to do anything else before the angel placed a hand on both of them and they were gone.


	20. Tortured

What can I say about this chapter? How do you torture an angel? lol.

_Thanks to **supernaturalmydreams** for beta reading!_

* * *

**T - Tortured  
**_- Set: Alt. version of "Swan Song"_

___"Yes"__  
_Dean sighed and leaned his forehead against the wheel of the Impala. Sam had said 'yes' despite Lucifer knowing about the horsemen's rings. He had just let his brother go to his doom. He jumped in his seat when his phone rang.

"Yeah?" Dean leaned back in his seat, holding the phone to his ear, uninterested.

"We got him," Castiel said shortly, making Dean sit up straight in the seat.

"Where?" Dean started the car.

"A farm outside the town," Castiel explained.

"That's nice and all, but there's more then one farm around here, Cas!" Dean groaned. Castiel gave him more information and Dean figured it would take about an hour to get there.

"How did you catch him?" Dean asked as the Impala roared down the empty roads out of town.

"An ancient spell. You have to hurry," and with that he hung up.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Dean said back although Castiel had hung up.

* * *

"He's in there," Bobby said, pocketing his hands as soon as Dean got out of the Impala. The farm was huge, but appeared to be abandoned. They were standing outside of it, the wind was picking up, and Castiel was actually struggling to stand straight and look serious at the same time.

"So what's the plan?" Dean wondered as he peeked through a crack in the barn door. He saw controlled fire somewhere inside and Dean knew it had to be holy fire.

"There's a good and a bad thing," Castiel warned.

"Of course there is," Dean shrugged, turning his back to the barn to look at his friends.

"We have captured him in a large ring of holy fire. We can try and get him into the cage, but we need the rings. Which Lucifer has," Bobby explained.

"That's the good part or the bad part?" Dean wasn't really sure where this was going.

"No. The good thing is that we can try and save Sam in the process," Castiel continued,

"But in order to do that you have to pry Lucifer out of your brother.  
Dean frowned,

"And how are we supposed to do that?"  
Castiel and Bobby looked at each other, but didn't answer.

"The bad thing?" Dean sighed loudly.

"The only suggestion I have is to torture him out of his vessel," Castiel explained.

"What? That's going to kill Sam!" Dean raised his voice.

"It might, but there's always a chance it won't, Dean. Don't you want to take that chance? It's either that or get Lucifer into the cage with Sam. If you prefer that option..." Castiel trailed off, knowing Dean wouldn't be able to live with himself if he sent Sam into hell and devil's cage if there was a possibility of saving him. Castiel wanted to try it. Sam was his friend too and he wanted the best for Dean.

"If he doesn't survive it..." Bobby swallowed a lump in his throat,

"You guys've seen what Heaven's like. You even said it wasn't too bad."

"Pamela said that, not me," Dean groaned and rubbed his forehead and temples with his hand. He didn't want to send Sam to Hell. But torture him? How could he? He just had to hope Lucifer wouldn't push him too far during the torture. "Okay," he nodded before heading straight over to the door and vanished into the barn.

* * *

"I really hope you have a good plan because I'm tired of seeing how suicidal you Winchesters are," Lucifer stood at one end of the large circle of holy fire with his arms across his chest. Dean could clearly see the self-assured smirk across his brother's face, though he really had no problem seeing that it was Lucifer in there. The devil's smile only widened when he didn't get an answer. Dean walked around the outside of the circle, closer to the side where Lucifer stood.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Lucifer mocked and turned to stand face to face with Dean.

"We got a plan," Dean said shortly, not a muscle moved on his face.

"Well then. Why don't you come into the circle with me? Try whatever you like." Lucifer backed away, just a step, and it caused Dean to flinch a bit. Lucifer frowned before smirking again, not saying anything. Dean readjusted the grip on his weapon behind his back, walking around the circle again to try and get closer to Lucifer without stepping into the circle.

"Wouldn't be a fair fight would it? You're no man," Dean mocked and Lucifer reacted the way he wanted - turning back around. Just as he was turning Sam's body, Dean brought out the crowbar in a swift movement and hit Lucifer on the side of the neck. Sam's body went down, but it would be to no use if Lucifer wasn't knocked out by it. Dean didn't wait a second to jump into the circle when he saw that Lucifer moved - still awake. Wounds that would usually kill a human, like a stab to the heart, would be superficial to an angel, but he knew it was possible to knock them out through their vessels. Dean closed his eyes as he swung the crowbar again, not wanting to see his brother's body getting hurt by his hands. The final blow to the body knocked Lucifer out, but Dean had no idea for how long.

"Bobby! Cas! Hurry!" Dean shouted, throwing the crowbar out of the circle of fire. He knelt down to Sam's body and checked for a pulse. Satisfied that Sam was still alive in there, he dragged his body over to one of the beams holding the barn roof up. Dean silently thanked his friends for leaving the one beam inside the circle of fire. Bobby and Cas came running in with different kinds of equipment that would hold Lucifer in place.

"Handcuffs, Cas? Kinky," Dean joked without even a smile on his lips.

"It's covered in enochian sigils. Lucifer won't be able to get out of it," Castiel explained while Dean brought Sam's arms around the beam and cuffed them together.

"It didn't exactly go after the plan with Alastair," Dean reminded Castiel and the old angel bowed his head as in shame.

"That won't happen again. I'll make sure of that," Castiel tried to comfort. Dean was about to make a rude comment back when there came a groan from somewhere on the floor.

"Back with us, yeah?" Dean knelt down in front of Lucifer who started pulling at the handcuffs holding him in place.

"Handcuffs? Kinky," Lucifer snorted and rolled his eyes. Dean turned to look at Castiel who looked rather amused by the repeated comment. Lucifer shook Sam's head and then looked down at his vessel's chest and shoulder,

"Ouch. You know, was it really worth bashing your brother's head in just to knock me out? It'll leave more damage on him than me," Lucifer said without looking up, watching the blood run down Sam's neck, his neck, and down his chest.

"It's the risk I had to take," Dean said and stood up. Lucifer grunted annoyed as he tried to get to his feet, not feeling like sitting with two humans and a pity excuse of an angel standing over him. He craned his neck to look at the beam, sighing loudly when he saw the enochian sigils carved into the wood as well.

"Thumbs up for creativity," Lucifer snorted and looked down to meet Dean's eyes again. Dean stepped closer and dug a hand into Sam's pocket, grabbing the four rings of the Horsemen. He never broke his eye contact with Lucifer, hoping to recognize Sam somewhere in there, but all he saw was Lucifer's smug face.

"Ah. You expect me to just jump into the cage since you caught me in holy fire?" Lucifer shook his head and laughed. Dean grabbed Sam's chin, silencing Lucifer.

"Why doesn't the Devil himself have a weapon on his own? The angels had these nice little things," Dean asked and held up one of the angel knives they had collected the last couple of days. Lucifer was no longer smiling. Every little bit of him wanted to rip Dean apart and the humiliation of being under the control of a human was a disgrace. All he could do was look down at the long blade in Dean's other hand. Dean gripped Sam's face harder again to get his focus back up.

"I don't need some little pig poker," Lucifer sneered.

"You sure could use one now though, right?" Dean mocked, letting go of Sam's face and looked over his brother's body. At least Lucifer hadn't been abusing Sam's body. His mind, on the other hand, probably wasn't as lucky.

"Let me talk to him," Dean said quietly.

"So you two can take control and drag me into Hell? I don't think so," Lucifer said quietly. Dean took a deep breath and held up the tip of the angel sword to Sam's shoulder and closed his eyes. Then he shoved it forward and into his brother's shoulder. Lucifer screamed and threw his head back, but soon enough the scream mixed with laughter. Lucifer looked down again at the blade in his vessel's shoulder then up at Dean.

"You humans... you... don't deserve this planet when... when you think torturing your brother will... will be enough to get me back in hell..." Lucifer panted, face inches from Dean's, who still held the blade in a firm hand. He hoped he had calculated right by stabbing Sam there. It was a shoulder wound and if he was able to avoid the biggest veins, it shouldn't be a deathly wound. He pulled the blade out and Lucifer wheezed in pain.

"Dean," Castiel spoke up and Dean turned around and walked over.

"What?" Dean grimaced at Sam's blood on his hands.

"I have a chant that might help Sam," Castiel explained.

"Why are you saying this now?" Dean had to strain himself from yelling.

"The chant can only be used by one angel on another, but they don't work on archangels. It might, however, help Sam getting control for a little. Let me do that while you and Bobby open the cage," Castiel turned in the direction of Lucifer, but Dean grabbed his upper arm.

"But I thought you weren't an angel anymore," Dean asked.

"I will never be just a human Dean, but you're right. We have to try though," Castiel waited for Dean's answer and when he got a nod he walked closer to Lucifer, but stayed outside the circle. Dean clutched the rings in his hand and stood in front of Lucifer again. The archangel bowed his head as Castiel ranted on in enochian, puffs of breath escaping his lips. When Lucifer looked up again he was smirking, but Sam's forehead was wrinkled in pain and slowly blood started running from his nose and ears.

"Cas..." Dean warned, but Castiel kept going. Suddenly, Lucifer cried out again and his face changed completely to a look that was all Sam; Sam in pain, but Sam nonetheless.

"Sam?" Dean stepped closer to the shuddering figure. Sam looked up to meet Deans eyes and tears ran down his cheeks.

"Open it. Now," Sam wheezed and looked at the rings in Dean's hand.

"But..." Dean rolled the rings around in his hand. He wanted to get Lucifer out of Sam, but it was already clear that they wouldn't be able to torture him out. Torturing a demon like Alastair was one thing. Dean knew loads of weaknesses in demons, but an archangel? How else would they torture an angel then with the angel blade? He didn't know what else to do.

"Okay," Dean sighed and looked away from Sam's begging eyes. He threw the rings onto the ground inside the circle of holy fire and spoke the words Death had told him. The barn floor broke apart and hay and dirt vanished into the hole that was growing.

"Dean!" Castiel shouted of the roar of wind. Dean spun around to see Castiel and Bobby pointing at Sam. Dean nodded and hurried over to unlock the handcuffs.

"You can do this, Sam," Dean whispered into Sam's ear before finally getting the cuffs off. Sam was pulling away from the beam as soon as he was loose and stepped closer to the hole in the ground. The holy fire was still intact and Dean knew Castiel had probably done something to it so it wouldn't go out so easily or spread in the barn.

"Thank you," Sam gasped and held onto the wound on his shoulder. Dean just nodded, but frowned when Sam turned around again to look at him.

"And the Oscar goes to..." Sam smirked and pointed both hands on himself. Dean's face was full of shock in seconds and by that time Lucifer was on him, holding him against the beam and punching his face.

"How well do you actually know your brother when you can't even tell him from me?" Lucifer mocked. The cage was still roaring behind them and the circle of fire was still flaming. Lucifer wasn't going anywhere just yet, and right now he only had one thing in mind: to finally finish off Dean Winchester. Dean was crying now and desperately grabbed Sam's wounded shoulder and jabbed his fingers into the wound. Lucifer grimaced, but more in disgust than pain. He was about to say something when a shot sounded. Lucifer kept his hold on Dean, but looked over Dean's shoulder at Castiel who had the Colt in his hands, standing in front of Bobby.

"No..." Dean tried to wince, realizing his nose had to be broken, but right now it was the shot wound in Sam's forehead that pained him. Lucifer's face turned sympathetic and sad as he put a hand to the shot wound. He could heal it, but his vessel was a no go...

"You know what that means," Lucifer said and looked at Dean, whose eyes were full of tears,

"It's all me now."  
Dean felt something cold shoved back into his hands and knew it was the angel blade.

"I love you, little brother," he cried in a whisper before shoving the blade into Lucifer's chest and through his heart. Lucifer howled in pain again and staggered backward, reaching for the blade, but Dean was too quick for him. Dean grabbed both sides of Lucifer's neck, just to feel what was left of Sam before giving the body a push. Lucifer, being disorientated and in pain, reacted too late and lost balance as Dean let go.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Dean," Castiel was grimacing in mental pain. He knew he had just killed Sam, but they all knew by now that they couldn't get Lucifer into the cage without Sam.

"I thought it'd be better if Sam was dead going into Hell," Castiel was close to crying himself, but Dean didn't care. He knew why his friend had done it, but it didn't hurt any less. Bobby was trying to hide an unstoppable sniffle as he put out the holy fire. The barn was still standing, but there were missing planks in the walls and ceiling and all the hay that had been there was gone. The hole was gone too, with Sam and Lucifer in the cage. Dean knelt where the hole had been, crying into his hands.

"You and your brother saved the world tonight," Bobby tried to look at the bright side of what should be a happy day. He had to keep drying away tears himself though. Sam was like a son to him and the sickening sight of the bullet finding mark in his head was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Oh god," Dean choked and leaned forward until his forehead rested against the floor. Suddenly everything turned white. When Dean opened his eyes again, he was behind the wheel of the Impala, Castiel and Bobby were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Dean was driving seemingly in no particular direction, but he knew where he was going. He had promised Sam to go to Lisa's if they succeeded. He didn't want to. He wanted to save Sam again, but knew he couldn't. Cas dropped in just moments later, explaining that God had given Dean what he wanted, a normal world...no paradise, no hell. But it wasn't what Dean wanted most; he wanted his brother back...apparently that was the one thing he couldn't have. Castiel had gotten his wish for getting Lucifer back in his cage: all powers back and even a little more. Castiel vanished before Dean could ask what Bobby had gotten out of it all.  
Dean didn't know how long he could do it...live an apple pie life and while knowing his one weakness, his little brother, was dead and in hell. He would try to honor Sam's wish, but Dean knew himself well enough to know that it wouldn't last. He couldn't act like nothing had happened -as if Sam never existed. He had raised Sam, grown up with him, been everywhere with him, and loved him. Letting his brother stay gone would be easier said than done.


	21. Unarmed

So this chapter is probably the shortest yet. Reason? I'm kinda running out of ideas lol. So it's three stories in one and better then nothing right? Riiight? lol

Five-ish chapters left! O_o And I have finished writing all chapters now! Jippi! I promised you I would finish this didn't I? Now I just need to get them sent over to right computer and beta checked =) Also there will probably be some alt. chapters =)

_Beta reader is **supernaturalmydreams**! Thank you! _

**

* * *

**

**U - Unarmed  
**_Three times Sam has been caught unarmed._

* * *

_**Set to "The Benders"**_

He watched from the old family car as a young man left the bar alone.

"Perfect," Lee Bender smirked. The kid was tall and probably a bit of a fighter, but Lee knew he could take him. He was a little smaller than the young man, but he was stronger built. He quietly got out of the car, but then had to kneel down behind another car as something else caught his prey's attention. The man knelt down in front of a car and jumped back as something under the car spooked him. Lee smiled. It was always easier to catch their prey when they thought they were safe. He stood up again and took quick up to the man's back, a soaked cloth in hand. Before the taller man had a chance to react, Lee closed one strong arm around his chest and placed the cloth over his nose and mouth. The kid started tossing at once, but the movements were getting sluggish quickly and the arm that hit Lee across the head was weak. Lee looked around him to make sure nobody saw what was going on and didn't look back down at his prey before the young man was limp in his arms. Lee secured both arms around the man's chest and easily dragged him to his own car. The back door was already open and ready. Lee loaded the unconscious kid into the back before securing the lock and hurrying in behind the wheel and drove off, satisfied smile on his face. This one was going to be a good hunt.  
When Sam opened his eyes he needed a moment to remember where he was. When the moment had passed, he realized that he had no idea where he was. He sat up carefully in what seemed to be a cage and ran a hand over his head. No wounds so he assumed he must have been drugged or something. He squinted through the bars of the cage and noticed another one just a meter away from him, also containing another man. Perhaps that was the man he and Dean were looking for. Turned out it was and as far as saving him - that didn't turn out very successful. The sick shitheads that had caught Sam were just humans, but far more disturbing than many supernatural creatures they had met throughout their lives. Including the Wendigo that ripped its victims apart.  
Sam felt sick just by looking at daddy Bender where he was lying on the barn floor, gloating and disgusting. The lady cop told him to go get his brother so he did, but he had a feeling that maybe leaving the cop alone with the Bender wasn't such a good idea - for daddy Bender that is. He did as he was told anyway and he needed to make sure his brother was okay. When he was outside the house he could hear shouting from inside and ran in through the door.

"Dean!" Sam ran in through the door and found his brother fighting off a little girl with a knife. Once Dean managed to wrench the knife out of her hands he grabbed the girl and locked her up in a closet. It wasn't before then Dean noticed Sam.

"Sam! You're okay!" Dean smiled widely and hurried over to his little brother, quickly checking him over. Sam just nodded, relieved that his brother was seemingly okay too.

"Oh shut up already," Dean growled over his shoulder in the direction of the closet with the screaming girl,

"Man that girl is going to need therapy," Dean claimed as they left the dirty house. Once outside they saw the lady cop coming up from the barn, looking tired, sick and terribly sad. When they asked about daddy Bender she told them he tried to escape so she shot him. It was pretty clear what had really happened, but neither of them mentioned it. Not only because she was authority, but with what the Benders had done to her brother... no one could blame her.  
She told them to leave before the backup came and who were they to argue? The cops would find shit loads of illegal shit on them, but she was willing to let them go. They silently thanked her before starting on the long walk back to town and the Impala.

"Next time keep the gun with you, alright?" Dean said annoyed when Sam wouldn't leave the topic of Dean being worried about him alone.

"Dean, I can't carry a gun everywhere..." Sam claimed and looked from his brother to the road when they heard sirens. They jumped into the bushes beside the road before the police cars drove past them.

"Thanks for worrying though," Sam added with a laugh and Dean just huffed and got up.

* * *

_**Set to "Bad Day at Black Rock"**_

"Maybe we should just keep looking?" Greedy suggested as Kubrick stopped in front of him.

"What do you think we're doing? We'll find him. We've been led th-" a loud thud silenced both of them and they turned to look at a window when the drapes suddenly were ripped away from it.

"Told you," Kubrick muttered as Sam Winchester fell to the floor, tangled in the drapes. The young hunter hit his head against the floor and stopped moving. The two of them stood looking for a few seconds before Greedy spoke up,

"Did he just... knock himself out?" he tilted his head a bit,

"That's really stupid."  
Kubrick just smiled and looked up at the sky. He then quickly looked around them before going to the door, finding it locked, but he was an expert at picking locks so in a matter of seconds they were in. Kubrick ordered Greedy to get their weapons and duck tape while he took care of the unconscious man. He had gotten Sam onto the chair just as Greedy came back into the room and started duck taping him to the chair.

"Oh, he's awake," Greedy claimed out loud and Kubrick came over. Sam blinked a few times, not catching everything that was being said. The last thing he knew a hand came flying and everything turned black again as he lost consciousness. This day was, without doubt, in the top three worst days of his life...  
The first thing Sam saw when he woke up again was the white ceiling; then noticed that his cheeks were burning from where Kubrick kept punching him. The idiots were talking about Gordon and that luck like this doesn't just happen, but when he tried to explain the luck he was shut up with a snap of fingers. Sam was glad Dean didn't see that - him flinching at a simple snap of fingers from a man standing too far away, but he'd already been punched enough by that same hand, so who could blame him?  
He was pulled out from his train of thoughts when a gun clicked and he was looking up the barrel.

"No wait. Hold on," Sam tried to convince Kubrick to not shoot, but he got unexpected help from Greedy.  
_Yes, listen to your buddy,_ Sam begged silently. He forced his eyes closed when Kubrick aimed the gun back at his face, but he was interrupted again. Sam could swear his brother had never been a sweeter sight.

"Put the gun down," Kubrick told Dean and turned to his brother.

"You mean this one?" Dean asked amused.

"Yeah. That one," Kubrick said raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Alright," Dean put his gun down on the table and Sam frowned, wondering what the hell his brother was pulling this time.

"But there's something you don't know about me," Dean picked up a pen instead and Greedy and Kubrick followed it, unsure of what the hell the other man was up to.

"Yeah, and what is that?" Kubrick was getting impatient now.

"It's my lucky day," Dean smirked and threw the pen in a smooth hand move and it lodged itself into Kubrick's gun. Sam gasped surprised, Kubrick started wrestling the pen out and Greedy charged at Dean, but Dean avoided him easily. Greedy kept running right into the wall and fell back, hitting his head on the floor.

"I'm awesome," Dean gloated, throwing a cheeky smile at his brother. Kubrick finally got the pen out, but before he had time to point the gun at Dean - a remote control came flying and hit him in between the eyes. This time both Sam and Dean gaped in amazement as Kubrick fell to the floor as well.

"I'm Batman," Dean grinned at Sam.

"Yeah. You're Batman," Sam snorted,

"Can you get me out of here please?" he asked tiredly and Dean hurried over. He found scissors and got Sam out, wincing at his little brother's bruised face.

"Next time leave me with a gun, okay?" Sam got up and Dean helped him out to the Impala.

"Yeah, as if. I couldn't have done that now, Sam. You'd probably just shoot yourself even with the gun in another room," Dean joked. Sam couldn't really argue with that. They both came to an agreement to go right to the cemetery to burn the rabbit's foot, despite Sam's face still hurting.

"What happened anyway? I told you not to move," Dean eyed Sam as they headed for the cemetery.

"The air conditioner started burning or something. I couldn't just sit there and burn alive. Then my arm caught fire and... Those guys showed up," Sam explained quickly.

"They just came and you let them in?" Dean squinted accusingly.

"I kinda knocked myself out too... can we not talk about this?" Sam said quickly and Dean laughed before nodding.

"Sure, whatever. Klutz," Dean snickered.

* * *

_**Set to "99 Problems"**_

"What are you doing?" Sam sat up straighter in the passengers seat in the Impala. They had been driving all day and the sun had just vanished behind the tree tops. Now they were on a no-name road in the middle of nowhere because Dean hadn't bothered stopping at the last motel they saw and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Sam boss over him.

"I need to take a leak. Get off my back will ya?" Dean said as he steered the Impala over to the side of the road. He tossed Sam a weak smile when he came off more angry than he wanted before getting out of the car. So Sam wasn't his favorite person at the moment after all those sucky memories in Heaven, but at the same time, Dean kept thinking of the moment Roy shot Sam (while the kid was full on puppy eyes too). It was sickening and he couldn't get the picture of Sam's dead body on the bed, face turned in his direction, arms thrown back by the blast from the gun and his chest shredded and bloody, out of his head. He knew his brother couldn't control the memories in Heaven, but it still hurt that memories that were his hell, were Sam's Heaven. He walked a little down the road, away from the car, before doing his business. He could hear Sam getting out of the car as well and turned to look over his shoulder. Sam was simply resting back against the car, waiting patiently. Dean sighed. Why the hell was their life so freaking complicated? No matter how sick he got of Sam, no matter how much his brother would hurt him - he would never be able to just turn his back on his brother - and not turn back. He could force himself to believe he could live without his brother, but it'd soon enough come and bite him in the ass.

"Dean!" Sam shouted when Dean had done his business. He spun around in time to see some guy charging at his brother with a knife. Sam threw a punch right in the face of the man, but the man bounced back seemingly unhurt. Demons. Dean cursed himself for being unarmed and knew Sam was as well. He ran as fast as he could to the car, past Sam to the trunk. He could hear Sam yelp in pain, but knew he would be to no use until he got hold of a weapon. He grabbed Ruby's knife and stalked right over to the demon that had a choking hold on his brother.

"Get off him!" Dean growled and dug the knife in the demon's back. The demon exploded inside the vessel until the body collapsed to the floor. Dean noticed a cut on Sam's upper arm, but was cut off from checking it when Sam pointed behind him.

"What the hell?" Dean squinted in the direction of the road where they had come from. A huge group of what he could only assume were demons was running in their direction.

"Shit! Get in the car, Sam," Dean opened the door for Sam and pushed him in before running around, starting the car and driving off just as the demons reached the car.

"Where the hell did they come from!" Dean shouted, checking the mirrors to see that they were getting away, but the demons were still running after them.

"Dean!" Sam shouted and pointed through the front of the car when black smoke came shooting out of the forest. Dean spun the car down another road, barely avoiding the smoke.

"You okay?" Dean asked when he noticed that Sam was checking out the cut.

"I'm awesome," Sam panted with a pained smile,

"Look up," his brother again made Dean look back on the road and he slammed on the breaks. A huge car was in full flames. He put his car in reverse and was about to turn the car when the windows broke and demons grabbed them.

"Dean!" Sam cried when demons started dragging him out the window, hurting his wounded arm even more. Just when everything looked bleak for them they heard a voice on speakers. The demons let go of them and they pulled themselves back into the car just as water was all around them. The demons shrieked when the holy water hit them and they left their vessels in a hurry. Dean tired to get a look through all the water and noticed a truck with men, hosing the demons down with water while speaking Latin over speakers.

Turned out those guys were no hunters - just normal humans dragged into this war. Convincing them that they could help, the men let Sam and Dean come with them back to the town.

"That was kinda weird wasn't it?" Dean muttered as they followed the new hunters back to their town.

"Yeah. But it's Apocalypse..." Sam reminded him.

"Mhm. Which means we gotta be armed taking a leak too," Dean snorted humorlessly.


	22. Visions

Howdy people! How's your summer so far? It's raining right now and my summer is rather boring, but I get through it lol.

A chapter about the visions I've had for soooooo long now that I felt that "V" was so long to wait for lol. Finally it's time for it though. I've been hoping to see Sam's visions again so I decided to put it in somewhere after "Swan Song" and before/during the first episode fo s6 (Wont spoil anything, don't worry).

_Thanks to **supernaturalmydreams** for beta reading_

* * *

**V - Visions  
**_- Set after "Swan Song"_

Sam had noticed the streetlight flickering when Gabriel brought him there. Gabriel yes. He'd ask the archangel why he wasn't dead, but Sam had been so confused from being ripped from Hell. One minute he was down in Lucifer's cage, the next he felt dirt all around him, an invisible hand dragging him up by the wrist and a voice he recognized telling him to keep going.  
"Why?" Sam asked, lying in the dirt and grass on Stull Cemetery, eyes blinking, breath hitching and one hell of a headache pounding wildly. Gabriel was sitting in the grass, same vessel as always, same cheeky grin, but voice unusually quiet.

"Because against all odds - you did it. You got my bro back in his cage," Gabriel winked and stood up,

"Someone who's able to do that doesn't deserve Hell."  
He let Sam lie in the grass, taking it all in, letting him know he was indeed no longer in Hell and that it wasn't just a cruel dream. When a few minutes had passed Gabriel leaned down and pressed two fingers to Sam's forehead.  
So now he was here. Under the blinking streetlight that Sam noticed kept blinking a little after Gabriel was gone. An uneasy feeling growing in him, wondering if it was he who caused it. At the moment he had more important things to think about - like Dean inside the house he's standing right by. At least his big brother had done as he wished, but he didn't look happy and Sam knew what he had to do. No matter what choice he made it wouldn't be fair on Dean. If he left, Dean would somehow find out that his little brother was out of Hell - and had not come to him. Sam knew if Dean had done that to him it would hurt like shit thinking his brother had been in Hell when he wasn't. There was also the cruelty of returning to Dean and bringing him back into the hunting life now that he had finally found a girl he loves. But Sam needed Dean. He'd been in Hell and the only one who would know how he feels was his brother. The only one who could help him was his brother.

Sam noticed Dean standing up from the table and walking over to the window he was looking through. He'd been spotted. Sam just stared back at Dean when he did the same. The youngest Winchester then walked over to the black car parked on the side of the road. Dean's eyes from the window were following him all the way until Sam reached the Impala. Then Dean vanished from the window, only to return at the door, quietly closing it after him. Sam wondered why since Lisa was now standing by the window looking out.  
Sam just stood quietly by the trunk, waiting until Dean was standing opposite him on the other side of the car.

"Sam?" Dean's voice was just a whisper and Sam could see that his whole body was shaking. Sam simply nodded and held out his arm. For a moment Dean frowned before realizing what that probably meant.

* * *

Dean would hardly allow himself to breathe. Sam was standing right in front of him. His little brother who was supposed to be in Hell. He wanted nothing else than to reach out for him, but he was reminded what to do when Sam simply held out his arm. He wanted Dean to trust that it was him - not just by recognizing him, but he had to be truly sure. Dean popped the trunk open and reached in for a bottle of holy water, eyes never leaving Sam. Sam didn't move, just waited patiently. Dean unscrewed the lid on the bottle and emptied some of the content onto Sam's arm. Nothing happened and Dean noticed that even Sam looked relieved and a tiny smile crept onto his face.

"The salt," was the first thing Sam said and his voice made Dean bite his bottom lip while picking up a small bag of salt. It was his baby brother and here he had to act all professional instead of hugging the living daylights out of him. He emptied some salt onto Sam's hand and again nothing happened.

"Sammy..." Dean was so close to tears now, but Sam just smiled sadly and pointed at the silver knife in the trunk. Dean protested. He didn't want to cut Sam now! Sam leaned in and grabbed it himself. He made sure Dean was watching as he slid the knife over his arm, leaving a shallow cut open. A relieved sob escaped Sam's mouth too and Dean finally grabbed his brother's neck and drew him down into a hug.

"Shit," Dean fisted a hand in the back of Sam's shirt and the other in the dark curls on his neck, breathing in the scent of his little brother. Sam's long arms completely embraced his smaller big brother, his heart pounding so hard that Dean could feel it. During his time in Hell, he never thought he'd see his brother again - the only safe place in the world for him - it was strange really. His safest place in the world was with his big brother, yet his safe place was always where all kinds of danger was.

"I'm so sorry. I had to come to you," Sam sobbed, hugging his brother closer. Dean frowned at that, wanting to see the look on his little brother's face, but couldn't move since he was being held so close. He didn't really want to let go anyway and stood quietly as Sam ranted.

"I didn't want to pull you out of your new family, but I had to. I can't do this alone," Sam felt pathetic, crying like that, but anyone would when reunited with someone he'd thought he'd lost forever.

"I need someone who can relate," Sam whispered the last part and Dean knew exactly what he meant. Dean shushed him, not to shut him up, but in a calming way, like he'd done when Sam was a kid, like Lisa did when Dean returned to her after Lucifer was back in his cage.

"I would have made a living punching bag out of you if you hadn't come," Dean snorted, blinking tears as he watched the other dark houses in the neighborhood over his brother's shoulder.

"It's okay, Sam. You know I'm here for you," Dean finally broke the hug, but kept his hand on Sam's arm. He just smiled stupidly and looked his brother over. Besides the heartbroken and terrorized look in his eyes, Sam looked healthy and alive.

"I know we've been dead like an unnaturally number of times, but... this. I thought this was it. And the feeling. Thinking that this was it. This time I wouldn't be able to do anything even if I tried..." Dean shook his head, laughing a little,

"Man wouldn't Dr. Phil have been proud of us for this heart to heart."  
That made Sam snort too, getting a mental image of a normal day in apple-pie-Dean's life.

"Gabriel," Sam said shortly and Dean tilted his head.

"He's dead," Dean frowned and Sam just shook his head,

"He brought you back? Him? Gabriel? Trickster-Gabriel? Shit," Dean wasn't sure whether to be amazed that Gabriel was alive or that he - of anyone - would bring Sam back. Even though he knew the archangel had had a change of heart just before his 'death'.

"Yeah," Sam muttered. He then noticed Lisa in the window and nudged Dean in the side,

"I can go and find a motel. We can talk tomorrow," Sam suggested, but Dean shook his head.

"Wait here. I'll be right back, okay?" Dean made sure Sam understood before hurrying over to the house. Sam watched as Dean vanished into the house and Lisa away from the window. Two minutes later Dean came back out with his jacket on, smiling when he saw Sam still there.

"What you say about taking a little drive? Just the two of us?" Dean squeezed Sam's arm, but he looked confused from his big brother to the house.

"What about Lisa?" Sam wondered as Dean started pushing him towards the passengers side of the Impala.

"She's fine with it, Sam. Trust me," Dean smiled and ran around to the drivers side and got in.

"It's nearly midnight, Dean," Sam warned as they drove off, Dean with the biggest smile on his face,

"when has that ever stopped us before?" Dean winked.

* * *

"Where are we?" Sam asked as the car rolled to a stop in a parking lot. He looked around and thought he could see green field lit up by lights. A football field.

"Ben's school. He goes to football here too," Dean explained as he got out of the car and Sam was quick to follow.

"I usually drive him to school before work," Dean explained,

"He's like the most popular kid in class since he comes to school in the coolest car," Dean laughed shortly and they looked over their shoulder at the Impala. Sam smiled, but tried to hide a frown too. He didn't want to be pulling his brother out of this life if he had settled with it.

"You got a job? Mechanic?" Sam suggested and Dean hugged a laugh and nodded.

"I'm that predictable?" they got to a fence and Dean lent down on it.

"Sometimes I really wonder if Lisa lied when she said Ben isn't my kid because man, that kid..." Dean snorted and shook his head, watching the field. They were quiet for a long minute, just taking in the silence and night air. Sam stood still as a tree, relaxing for the first time in who knows how long. He tried to remember the last day before Lucifer entered his body, but it was all a big blur.

"Do you remember anything?" Dean asked quietly and Sam realized that his brother was studying him. Sam smiled weakly and shook his head. That made Dean straighten up and stand up in front of him,

"Don't lie. Look where all the lying got us last time," Dean explained calmly,

"You said you needed someone who could relate."  
Sam just nodded and liked his lips,

"How long has it been?" he asked.

"A months time," Dean explained and he slowly realized what that meant,

"Ten years for you," he tilted his head in sympathy for his brother.

"You were down there for forty years, Dean," Sam reminded him,

"I can't even imagine how you could handle that. I was there ten years and I can no longer remember the days before I said yes. I couldn't remember Cas or Bobby and I was starting to lose the memory of you too. And Lucifer... he was so angry," Sam told and Dean noticed that his brother was starting to fall back into the memories of Hell. He stood up and grabbed Sam's shoulders,

"It's okay, Sam. You don't need to talk about it now," Dean reassured him.

"I'm sorry for all the crap I did to you when you came back, for seeing you as weak. Now that I've seen Hell myself I wonder what the hell was wrong with me. You didn't deserve that..." Sam started rambling and shaking his head. Dean was starting to get really worried now,

"Sam. Please. That's old okay? We've past that okay? We're okay," Dean soothed, stroking Sam's back.

"Ahh," Sam suddenly moaned and planted his hands to his head.

"Sam?" Dean grabbed his brother around his waist as Sam sunk to his knees. Sam didn't answer and his body started twitching and blood started running from his nose.

* * *

Sam gasped and moaned as pain ripped through his head. Flashes from Hell surged through him like a movie when suddenly new clips melted into the mix.  
"V...vision," Sam gasped and he could vaguely feel his brother's arms around him and tried to focus on that. He felt something wet run down over his mouth just as an image of Lisa appeared in his head.

"Dean," Sam gasped as another wave of pain surged through him and he felt his body was being leaned against something warm now. Suddenly there was an image of Lisa making dinner, then something caught her attention and she lifted her head - eyes pitch black. She said something he couldn't hear before turning her head away. Then she picked up a sharp knife and stabbed herself in the chest. Everything turned black and Sam thinks he's screaming in pain.

* * *

Dean freaked out when Sam collapsed completely against him. He was mumbling something through gritted teeth's,  
"V...visions," Dean froze at the words and gathered Sam's long limbs closer. Sam's head arched over Dean's elbow and his hands were grabbing at Dean's jacket, anything that could relieve the pain. When Sam started panting his name Dean tried to whisper words of comfort, trying patiently to wait the vision out. He dried away the nosebleed with a finger while he waited, watching Sam's wide open eyes. Suddenly Sam came close to screaming before finally passing out. Dean tapped his cheeks and luckily got a reaction pretty fast.

"Sam? Come on. What did you see?" Dean whispered as he helped Sam up into a sitting position. He placed his hands on Sam's neck, kneading the muscles there. Sam grabbed hold of Dean's arm with one of his and finally met his eyes,

"Did you... did you ever check Lisa as demon free?" Sam asked and Dean frowned.

"What? No. I've never had the reason to do that," Dean grew even more worried now.

"Dean, just because you quit hunting doesn't mean the demons just let you go," Sam tried to stand up and Dean helped him up.

"Sam, what did you see?" Sam dragged Dean back to the car.

"Lisa possessed by demon," Sam explained, rubbing his forehead. Dean started the car and headed back to his house,

"You have to hurry. The demon was going to kill her."

Dean just nodded and drove as fast as the Impala could go,  
"You okay? Don't tell me the visions are back," Dean looked his brother over, but he looked as fine as he could be at the moment.

"Man that was more painful than ever before," Sam sighed and sunk down into the seat, closing his eyes,

"Maybe... maybe the trip to Hell triggered the visions."

Dean cursed and hit the wheel,  
"Can't we ever get a break!" he shouted, making Sam jump in his seat. Dean sent him an apologetic glance before standing on the breaks when they arrived outside the house.  
Dean got out of the car and popped the trunk again, picking up the colt and Ruby's knife before turning to the house, but Sam jumped in front of him to stop him,

"Dean! You can't just go in there," Sam held Dean in place.

"Sammy, stay here. I can't leave her alone," Dean said calmly.

"I agree, but you're not going in alone," Sam said and took the colt from Dean."Sam..." Dean started.

"No. Dean. We're in this together," Sam turned his back to the car and headed toward the house, but Dean was quick to step up in front of Sam. They went around the house, quietly as they possibly could. When they came to the backdoor Dean turned to Sam and held a finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet as he opened the door. Dean was first to enter the dark house, Sam right behind him, colt in hand.

"Aren't you two a little old to be sneaking around like that?" a female voice brought the two to a dead halt. Dean straightened up and stared at the woman he had come to love.

"Lisa?" he asked hopeful. The dark haired woman looked up and smiled before turning around to look at the two of them.

"No!" Sam gasped as he remembered it all from the vision.

"Correct," Lisa winked at Sam, then took up a knife and dove it into her own chest. She grimaced before twisting her neck a bit,

"Ouch. That kinda hurt. Remind me not to do that again," the demon snickered and watched as blood quickly soaked her shirt. Dean took a step forward, Ruby's knife in hand.

"Get the hell out of her!" he growled, desperately blinking tears away. The demon just rolled her eyes and put the knife back down.

"Sweetie. You know me better than that. I don't listen to your orders," the demon looked a little over her shoulder as five more demons entered the room.

"Meg?" Sam came up beside Dean, putting a hand on his shoulder for both comfort and holding him in place.

"Jackpot, Sammy," Meg winked and leaned back against a table,

"What is it with you guys and escaping Hell? You keep on dying, but you sure as hell can't stay in one place."

"Where is Ben?" Dean ignored her taunts, too used to and too sick of everything revolving around Meg.

"Where the rest of the people that every knew you are. In Heaven or Hell. One thing's for sure though. He ain't here," Meg picked up another smaller knife and started cleaning around dried out blood from under Lisa's nails. All colors drained from Dean's face and Sam stood up in front of him now.

"You killed a kid?" Sam shouted. He wasn't surprised really, demons killed anyone, but it was sickening nonetheless and what it would do to his brother was even worse,

"The War is over! We won. Why are you still here?" Sam stepped closer, holding the Colt to Meg's forehead. He didn't want to do this to Lisa, but seeing as Meg stabbed her right in the chest - there was no way she was going to live.

"It's the aftermath, Sammy. I was here long before Lucifer got out of the cage. In fact, this is just more like old times, don't you think?" Meg informed with an almost gleeful look on her face,

"There's a price to pay for what you guys did to Lucifer. The whole supernatural world is in disarray. Now you're paying for it."

Sam jumped a little as two of the other demons moved. He directed the colt towards them and fired. Both going down easily. Meg didn't waver though.  
"How long have you been in Lisa?" Sam asked and Dean listened closely as he walked a little away from Sam, closer to the other demons.

"Just after you returned and ran off with big bro," Meg informed,

"Don't worry, I'll be returning to my old vessel soon. Call me sentimental, but I've grown used to that dark haired chick," Meg straightened up and turned to Dean,

"I'll be seeing you two," Lisa's head was thrown back as Meg left her body in a violent black smoke, breaking through the window of the house and vanishing. The remaining demons were close to follow and all the vessels collapsed to the floor. Dean hurried over to Lisa's body, gathering her in his arms. He didn't bother hiding his tears anymore. Sam bit his bottom lip from shouting out loud. He hadn't come back to ruin everything for his brother! Now his girlfriend and kid were dead - as if they had switched places. Sam let his brother have his alone time and went to check the other bodies. Three of the people were dead, but he found pulse on two of them and picked up his phone. He didn't call right then, but held it ready.

"Dean," Sam went over to his brother and knelt beside him,

"Dammit, I'm so sorry," he muttered when Dean put Lisa's body down on the floor,

"We have to go. Two of the guys are alive, but we can't be here when the police come," Sam calmly explained and was a little surprised when Dean nodded. He pressed his lips to Lisa's forehead before standing up, no emotion on his face. He looked at her one last time before taking Sam by the upper arm and leading his little brother out of the house. Sam felt like he should be the one with a hand of comfort on his arm, but didn't say anything. He called the ambulance as soon as they were in the car, driving off.

* * *

Dean was overwhelmed by too many emotions at the same time. Sam was back and so were his visions, little Ben was dead and Meg killed Lisa right in front of them. As he held Lisa's body to him, he felt tears running down his face and his heart was breaking again. Back when Sam first got the visions they usually had time to prevent these kinds of things, but apparently that wasn't the case now. They were always connected to the Yellow Eyed Demon too, but he was - as far as he knew - still dead. Nothing made sense and he felt himself grow ages older just from the overwhelming situation. He didn't know what to feel anymore. The tears dried up on their own as Dean set his mind. He gave Lisa one last kiss before standing up. Who had he been kidding anyway? The Winchesters weren't destined to have a family and he had just proved that yet again. He looked at his beautiful woman one last time before making a decision. So he couldn't ever have a girl or a son, so what? He'd just gotten his little brother back. It was he who he was meant to care for - live for. In the end, that was okay. He took hold of Sam's upper arm and led him out, needing to feel that at least when he lost something, he got something else back.

* * *

**TBC...**

I just wanna say that I don't really want Lisa dead, but in my case here I was running out of ideas so that's how it turned out here. I personally liked most of the female characters on this show so... don't start accusing stuff like that lol


	23. Witch Bag

Sorry for the little break between chapters again, but here's yet another chapter and we're even closer to the end. Although I'm so running out of ideas, I do feel a little sad that it's over soon and you guys are so sweet - so thank you so much! On the bright side I have already written another story that I'll be posting sometime after I'm done with this one ;D

So this is a chapter dedicated to summer! For a loooooong time I wanted to continue the "Flayed" chapter, but never really fit it into any of my ideas. Then I came to W and all out of ideas, which led me to finally be able to continue it. And remember - neither chapter 6 "Flayed" or this one follows how season 5 actually ended.

_Thanks to **supernaturalmydreams** for beta reading!_

**

* * *

**

**W - Witch bag**  
_- Sequel to chapter 6: "Flayed"_

"Where did they go?" Castiel asked Bobby. The angel had been looking for the two Winchesters and come up empty handed. He'd tried to call them, but didn't get any answer. He had silently cursed himself for hiding them from the angels. That's why he now was at Bobby's house, trying to get an answer out of the old hunter.

"I told you, I don't know. Am I speaking Greek here?" Bobby stood up from the chair behind the desk to stuff a book back into a shelf.

"No. I would have understood that," Castiel said without any kinds of emotion. Bobby just looked stupidly at the angel for a few seconds before shrugging him off and going into the kitchen.

"The boys wanted to have a few days off after what happened in Detroit," Bobby explained. He poured himself a cup of coffee and turned around, just to stand face to face with Castiel.

"But I'm their friend. And Lucifer and Michael are still out there," Cas informed as if Bobby didn't know any of this.

"Thank you for the newsflash," Bobby said sarcastically and headed back to his desk,

"They're just humans, Cas. They need a break from everything and even being their friend - you're an angel with no knowledge of human strengths and limits."  
Castiel just looked at Bobby for ten long seconds as if the hunter was growing a third nipple on his forehead.

"Yeah. I need them now," Castiel said shortly.

"I wasn't lying when I told you I don't know."

"Then find out."

"No."

"Then I will be waiting here until you do."

"This is going to be a long day."

"It doesn't need to be," Castiel said quietly.

"Please just leave."

* * *

"Well isn't this romantic?" Dean laughed when they arrived to a lonely, but sweet little summer town by the sea. With the ocean view from the motel, Dean and Sam silently hoped they had come to right place for a little vacation. Dean had been worried about Sam since Lucifer killed him in Detroit two days ago and although his brother did seem fine again, Dean didn't want anything bad to happen with Sam - not ever, but certainly not now. Dean needed a break himself. Watching his brother dead and bloody had happened before, but it reached it's limits two days ago. There's only so much one person can take when it comes to losing the most precious thing in their lives.

"I like it," Sam said shortly and sounded so carefree. Dean told him to wait by the car while he got them a room and Sam did as told. He rested his arms on the roof of the Impala and closed his eyes, enjoying the sun and wind. He opened his eyes when he heard Dean return - cursing like a sailor and muttering something about "gay" and "getting old."

"What's up?" Sam asked and Dean looked up.

"Oh nothing. Just another smartass kid who took me for being gay. I thought people had gotten past that point years ago," Dean muttered, eyeing Sam as if he was the reason for all of it.

"Ignore it, Dean," Sam snickered,

"It's just what you should expect," Sam teased.

"He-he, smartass," Dean pushed Sam a little before picking up his bag and heading to their room. Sam's phone started ringing then and he picked it up, sighing.

"Cas again," he held the phone up for Dean to see. Dean just laughed and entered their room,

"And people call us co-dependent. He can't take one day without us."  
Sam didn't comment on that and put his phone on the bedside table when it stopped ringing. The room was like any other motel room they had ever stayed at, but they had a porch and nice view over the sea. They didn't stay there for more than five minutes before they were out again, looking for a store to buy things to fill up the mini bar with.

"So we're eating at the motel tonight?" Sam asked as they walked down the clean street. It was a pretty town with flowers everywhere and bright colors. Meaning Dean was growing more and more uncomfortable,

"It was just a suggestion. If you don't w-"

"No it's cool," Dean cut Sam off with a quick smile. Then he saw the store and dragged his brother to it,

"Hurry."

"Why? It's open for two more hours," Sam frowned as they went in. Dean leaned in closer and lowered his voice,

"Because this town is so gay and there's already one kid that thinks I'm gay too, so hurry up."  
That caused Sam to laugh out loud and shake his head.

"Anyone ever told you you laugh like a girl?" Dean pouted, starting to fill up his arms with chips, soda and beer for both of them.

"Yeah. You," Sam sighed, picking up some water and salad for dinner. Once done in the store, they headed for fast food to get Dean's dinner before heading back to the motel.  
Just an hour after leaving the motel, they were sitting by the table by the window, door to the porch open, tv on and the wind from the sea coming through the door.

"This isn't too bad," Dean admitted. Sam smiled and nodded.

* * *

Sam was standing in the bathroom the same evening when he was suddenly overcome by dizziness. He shook his head and it cleared again. Dean was out despite being the one wanting to stay at the motel, because he had gotten bored. Sam watched the sea in the low sun from the window and realized how long it had been since he had bathed in the ocean. He scribbled down a little note to Dean that he'd be down by the beach before putting on a pair of shorts, since he didn't have any swimming trunks, and went down.  
Just five minutes after Sam had left the room, Dean returned.

"Sam?" he stopped to listen for any sound, but heard nothing. He turned off his iPod and checked the bathroom and found no Sam. Then he noticed the note on the table and shrugged. He sat down on the bed for no more than a minute before deciding to go join Sam. He found the only pair of shorts he had and left his shirt in the room before leaving.

The wind had picked up a bit, but it was still comfortably warm. Dean saw Sam at once sitting in the sand.

"Hi," he said and sat down beside his brother. Sam jumped a bit, but smiled when he saw it was Dean.

"Hi," he said shortly back. Sam had locked his arms around his long legs, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair and over his bare shins and torso.

"Cas called. Again," Dean informed and they snickered.

"Maybe we should answer the poor guy?" Sam suggested, turning to look at his brother. Dean tilted his head to the side for a second and shrugged,

"Neh. He'll be fine without us for a few days," Dean said, no emotions on his face as he looked in both directions of the beach. There were some people a good distance away, but besides that they were alone.

"Something happened?" Sam asked, looking out at the ocean again. It took a moment for Dean to answer and Sam turned to look at him again.

"Back in Detroit. Michael told me Cas was the one who let you out of the panic room," Dean explained,

"You know. Back before we let Lucifer out."  
Sam took notice of Dean referring to them both letting the Devil out and silently thanked his brother with a smile. He still meant that it wasn't Dean's doing just because he started the breaking of the seals, but he appreciated that they were getting back to normal and Dean wanted to sugar coat the truth a little.

"Oh," Sam frowned, not expecting that it was Castiel who had let him out, but really not knowing what else to say,

"So... you're mad at him?"

Dean just looked at him as if he was stupid,  
"Well yeah. He let you out of the panic room, Sam. He had a big part in letting Lucifer out because of that!" Dean claimed.

"I let Lucifer out. I'm not proud of anything I did last year, but you can't blame others for it," Sam said calmly.

"Sam..." Dean shook his head, smiling a sad smile,

"That's not the point. None of this would have happened if Cas didn't open the door. Worst of all, he never admitted to it either. He let you take all the blame!"

"When was he supposed to tell us? When you tried to hook him up with a hooker? Or in between all the White Castles?" Sam snorted.

"How do you know about the hooker?" Dean asked, scratching the back of his head, trying to remember if he had told Sam.

"Cas told me," Sam said shortly.

"Oh _that_ he says," Dean stood up, a bit annoyed,

"You know what? Screw him. We're here to relax okay?" Dean dragged his hands over his face and then smiled brightly at his brother,

"So. You're just gonna sit there and watch the sunset like a chick or are you actually going to check out the water?"

Sam stood up laughing,  
"Nah, I thought I could just sit here for the heck of it," Sam said as they walked together down to the water.

"And blind everyone with your pale skin," Dean clapped Sam on the chest once before hurrying into the water.

"Oh shit it's cold!" Dean whined and jogged up from the water again.

"Wuss," Sam poked his tongue out and went into the water too. He turned his head away and silently cursed when it in fact, was a little cold.

"It isn't that bad. You'll get used to it if you stay in it for a little while," Sam explained and went further out until the water reached his waist. Dean didn't want to be any worse than his brother and followed out. Once beside each other Sam held up three fingers, ready to countdown to ducking into the water.

"No, no, no. Last time we did that I ducked and you didn't," Dean complained.

"Dean that was at least fifteen years ago!" Sam laughed hard, not believing his brother still remembered that little happening.

"Yeah, so? You still did it," Dean added with a pout, but readied himself as Sam started the countdown.

"One. Two. Duck!" Sam took a deep breath at the same time as Dean and both fell back into the water, vanishing into the deep. Just a few seconds later they surfaced again, grinning like idiots.

"Still cold?" Sam asked and ran a hand through his soaked hair.

"Yeah. But better," Dean admitted and took a deep breath again and ducked underwater. Sam slowly laid back on the water and let himself float and closed his eyes. He heard Dean come up from the water again, but didn't look at him.

"Every time I try that I just sink," Dean said stupidly and Sam opened one eye.

"That's because you panic," Sam snickered, careful of not moving too much so he wouldn't sink himself.

"I don't panic. It just wont work," Dean said annoyed, looking at Sam as if expecting his brother to show him how to do it. Sam took the cue and straightened up in the water.

"Just do like I do, okay?" Sam did the same he did before and Dean did the same, breathing carefully. Soon enough they both floated in the water, the sun sinking in the horizion, rays of sun spilling over their chests.

"Hah. Awesome," Dean randomly mumbled and moved his hands and feet a little, rotating him in the water.

* * *

They didn't stay long in the water, but they enjoyed it and it felt almost unreal to finally get a day off. Over the years they had managed to go to an Ozzy show, maybe catch a movie in a theater and a beer at a bar, but this day had been a little more special. It reminded them more of their younger years when John had been the boss and Sam and Dean would be left alone for days. Sometimes they would stay at a motel near an ocean or a farm and, although their father had told them to stay inside, the boredom had often become too much for the kids. Dean would drag Sam with him to a gaming hall, or even to a farm where the nice farmers would let the two cute kids enjoy some time with the animals. Then there was a rare time at the beach, John had been especially stern about them staying inside because the beach wasn't safe for Sam. Dean wouldn't listen to that though. It wasn't like he'd let anything happen to Sam anyway.  
So that night they both went to bed tired, but satisfied. Though when Sam put a hand to his forehead he would feel a little warm. He shrugged it off as nothing and fell asleep.  
It was late morning when Dean woke up. He frowned a little at the bed where Sam was sleeping. They both usually slept with shirts and pants on, but Sam had shred both sometime during the night, leaving the boxers luckily. The kid was lying on his side, a slight frown on his face and bedspread pooling around his waist. Dean shrugged it off and took his shower. When he came back, Sam was awake and sitting up in bed, but looking anything but well rested.

"Sam?" Dean dried his short hair with a towel before pulling a new shirt on. Sam looked up at him with the biggest puppy eyes he could muster, hand firmly planted on his temple, halfway up in the messy dark hair.

"I don't... I don't feel so good," Sam mumbled and blinked, the room spinning around him. Dean put the towel down and went over to sit beside Sam. He placed a hand on his neck and noticed the clammy skin. He went to checking his pulse, then placed a hand to his forehead. Sam sat still while Dean checked him over before he felt a sudden headache grow somewhere between his eyes. Dean embraced Sam as soon as he noticed the change in his brother and lowered him to the bed.

"Sam?" Dean asked, but didn't get an answer. His brother's eyes were half lidded and his mouth was relaxed open.

"Hey come on, what's going on?" Dean patted Sam's cheeks and rested a hand on his chest, sweat starting to appear.

"Think I might be sick," Sam muttered. He rested his arm over his eyes against the bright light and his breathing was getting a little strained.

"So suddenly?" Dean asked confused,

"You looked just fine yesterday."

"Why thank you, darling," Sam sighed and managed to huff a laugh. Dean just groaned and pulled the blanket up to cover his brother,

"I see you still got your humor," Dean took that as a good sign.

"No. Too hot," Sam tried to push the blanket off him, but Dean insisted on having it on.

"You're sick, Sam. Keep the blanket on," Dean demanded and went to look for any painkillers to give his brother.

"What hurts?" he asked, looking through their bags.

"M'head. The rest's just uncomfortable," Sam informed, licking his lips. Dean nodded and found the pills for headaches, got a glass and filled it with water before returning to Sam.

"Take this," Dean lifted Sam's head a bit with a hand behind his neck and put the pill on his tongue, then handed him the glass. Once done and settled Dean didn't know what to do.

"Maybe I should call Bobby?" Dean suggested, but Sam just waved him off.

"It's just a cold or something. Just lemme sleep and I'll be fine. Promise," Sam muttered sleepily before curling into a ball under the cover.

* * *

Sam didn't seem to get any better as the day passed, but he insisted it was a normal illness. His skin was clammy all over now and forehead shining with sweat, a low moan he couldn't hold back escaping his open mouth whenever Dean left the room for a moment.

"Okay dude, I really hate doing this, but I need to get us some food and visit the pharmacy. You think you can hold out alone for a little? I'll be as quick as I can," Dean informed, stroking Sam's face with a wet cloth. Sam just put on a brave smile and waved him off.  
When Dean returned just fifteen minutes later, the sight had him fussing in a matter of seconds. Sam was curled in on himself, gasping and moaning into the pillow. Dean tried to uncurl him, tried to sweet talk and comfort him with a friendly hand, but nothing seemed to help now. Sam didn't even try to pretend he was fine.

"That does it," Dean stood up, picked up his phone and returned back to Sam's bed, kneeling beside the bed while lending Sam his hand to hold onto.

"Bobby..." Dean didn't get more out before the old hunter started rambling on the other line.

"Thank god! Your angel buddy is driving me nuts and demands me to tell him where you are, but do I know that? NO! But he wont listen and he's been hanging around here as often as he can as if he has nothing better to do!" Bobby complained and Dean was taken aback. Bobby had moments he was annoyed at things, but he really wasn't the whiny sort.

"Bobby listen to me! Somethings seriously wrong with Sam," Dean revealed, stroking his little brother's forehead with a thumb while Sam had a dead grip on his wrist,

"We're in Cape Charles, Virginia. Tell Cas and get him here as quick as possible."  
Bobby muttered something to someone else and Dean assumed he was telling Cas their locations. Dean told him their exact location and in a matter of seconds there was a flutter of wings.

"Cas!" Dean looked over his shoulder and saw their trench coat clothed friend, looking rather annoyed. It took the angel one look to understand the problem and he stalked over to Sam on the bed, put two fingers to his forehead and Sam slumped into unconsciousness immediatly.

"Thanks," Dean stood up and rolled Sam's limp body onto his back. Castiel placed a hand on Sam's soaked chest, right over the heart and closed his eyes. Dean watched as his brother's chest hitched and could hear Sam trying to pull air into his lungs between his lips.  
Suddenly Castiel looked up and his eyes moved around the room. He stretched his arm out and held it close to different parts of the room, the beds, the lamps, the bathroom sink and the walls. It was the wall by Sam's bed where his hand stopped. Then Castiel fisted his hand and made a hole in the wall. Dean jumped a bit, but didn't question the angel's actions.

"Witch bag," Castiel said and pulled his hand out of the wall, a small bag in his fist. Dean frowned and took the bag from his hand, opening it.

"Okay, random," inside the little bag he found the usual. Bones from some kind of animal, some weed and then gooey stuff that he had no idea what it was.

"How are we going to find the witch that placed it there?" Dean looked up at the grumpy looking angel. Castiel raised his head as if he was listening to something before turning to look at Dean again,

"I will find out what's going on," Castiel said,

"Don't go anywhere!" and with that he was gone. Dean sighed and looked over at Sam. His poor brother was still breathing a little heavy, his bare chest slightly red from the illness and head tilted back so air could come easier through the open mouth. Dean swallowed, as always it sucked seeing Sam in that position. He pulled the bedspread up to Sam's chin again.

"Dean?" Sam tilted his head a bit, wetting his lips.

"I'm here," Dean assured, putting a hand on his forehead and noticing it wasn't covered in sweat anymore. Still clammy, but better.

"It's hot," Sam complained and pulled at the bedspread, but Dean held it in place.

"You need to keep it on if you ever want to get better. Besides, I've seen enough of your skin for a lifetime now," Dean snickered when Sam's body jolted a bit with a snort.

"A Winchester's lifetime or a normal human being's lifetime?" Sam tilted his head to look at his brother.

"An angel's lifetime," Dean said dead panned and Sam grinned.

"Sorry," Sam apologized and stuck out his tongue just halfway out.

"I'll let it slip this time," Dean joked and patted his brother's shoulder and then there was a flutter of wings in the room again.

"She's not here," Castiel informed from where he was standing by the door to the porch.

"What does that mean?" Dean frowned.

"It assume it means that it wasn't personal. Someone might have put it there just to spread illness to the people sleeping in that bed," Castiel looked at Sam.

"So it might have been there for years?" Dean asked. He assumed it wasn't really that weird. Whenever the supernatural beings they hunted weren't being hunted they had to use their time on something else. Of course Sam had just happened to be one of the innocent victims here.

"One year and-" Castiel stopped a bit,

"-two months," he pulled the bag out of his pocket again and threw it over to Dean,

"You should burn that."

Dean didn't disagree and headed towards the door,

"I'll be right back, Sam."  
Sam just nodded and curled up under the bedspread, falling asleep quickly.

"He'll be fine again, right?" Dean turned around on the porch as Castiel followed him out. He found his lighter and lit the witch bag, destroying it - the wind causing the red sparks to fly a little before distinguishing itself.

"Yes. We found it in time I believe," Castiel made a turn to leave, but Dean grabbed him by the arm.

"I have to ask you something," Dean said and Castiel tilted his head a bit, squinting at his friend.

"Yes?" the angel asked.

"When Sam was in Bobby's panic room detoxing," Dean started, studying the angel's face,

"You let him out so he would get to Lilith."

Castiel bowed his head a bit as if in shame,  
"Yes."

"Then why didn't you ever tell me that? Or Sam? You know what this means?" Dean raised his voice, but lowered it again so Sam wouldn't hear them.

"That I betrayed you," Castiel confessed.

"Well yeah, but also that you've had a part to play in letting Lucifer out. Sam says it's all his fault and although yes, he was the one that pulled the trigger, he didn't get there on his own," Dean pressed.

"I didn't know then what I know now. I still thought killing Lilith would stop the final seal from breaking," Castiel explained. The angel turned again to look over the ocean.

"That's nice and all, but once you learned the truth you could have told us," Dean crossed his arms over his chest. Castiel turned back around to meet his eyes again.

"I am sorry for what I did and I am sorry for not telling you this. I hope you forgive me," Castiel looked up again and Dean just shrugged.

"I guess I can do that. Pretty sure the octopus in there forgives you too," Dean joked and tilted his head to the side as a nod, towards where Sam was. Again Castiel tilted his head.

"There's an octopus in there? They live in the sea," Castiel frowned and tried to see through the window, but saw no octopus. Dean just stared at him dumbfounded for a long time,

"I mean Sam," Dean rolled his eyes,

"With all arms and legs?" Dean tried to trigger an understanding out of the angel, but Castiel still looked a little confused.

"Octopuses don't look like Sam, Dean," his angel friend said matter of factly,

"You should read more about them."  
With that the angel left in a flutter of wings and Dean could only laugh.

* * *

"So you're feeling better?" Dean asked and sat down in the sand beside Sam.

"Yes, mommy," Sam snickered. His cheeks were still a little flushed and he looked like he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep lately, but at least he was up and around.

"Hey you're the chick here," Dean warned and pulled on a few strands of Sam's hair.

"You're the one with girly eyes. Why do you think people keep thinking yo-" Sam was interrupted by Dean knocked him over in the sand.

"Don't finish that sentence!" Dean warned, but Sam just laughed, pushing his brother off of him. Laughing, they got back into sitting position, brushing sand off their shirts.

"So what happens now?" Sam asked.

"Apparently Castiel was willing to let us have a few days off. Not that he'd have any choice," Dean shrugged. He twisted his arm a bit to get something from behind him.

"Want a beer?" he held a cold bottle out to Sam and his brother gladly took it with a nod.

"I could use a break without getting sick or any other crap," Sam sighed and Dean nodded in silent agreement.

* * *

**TBC...**

So I guess I kinda cheated a confrotation and fight etc, but the fic wasn't really about it here, but the brother getting back together.


	24. X acto Cut

Sorry sorry sorry for the delay, but here's a new chapter! Maaaaybe a little far fetched, but then again this is a SPN fanfic lol.

_Thanks to lovely **Ravanne** for beta checking!_

* * *

**X - X-acto cut**  
_- Alt. version of the ending of "The Dark Side of the Moon_"

Dean gasped awake staring into something white. He lay quietly for a few seconds to calm his breathing before he held it instinctively when he heard a door somewhere open. He frowned when he realized the white he was seeing was a sheet or something draped over him and he was lying on something hard. He started when he heard another gasp, followed by a scream and a thump. He sat up quickly, pulling off the sheet to see what the hell was going on. He looked around him to see where he was and his stomach clenched when he recognized what kind of place it was. A morgue. He quickly found the source of the scream. A female coroner was lying on the floor, unconscious. He looked up to see his brother on another table, his hand held to his chest and tears running down his cheeks.

"Sam!" Dean jumped off the table, quickly realizing he was buck naked and grabbed the sheet around his waist. Sam was shivering and gasping, blood coming from under the hand pressed tightly to his chest.

"What the hell?" Dean carefully removed Sam's hand and had to look away for a few seconds when he realized the coroner had started cutting Sam's chest with scalpel lying on the floor beside the woman. The bullet wounds that had killed him were gone, but the cut on Sam's chest now wasn't much better looking at. Dean also noticed a smear of dried blood on Sam's throat and frowned. He put a hand to his own throat and rubbed a little and his finger came back with dried blood too.

"Is it deep?" Dean grabbed a nearby towel and pressed it to his brother's chest.

"Yeah. Not... not fatal... I hope," Sam winced as Dean tried to help him sit up. Aside from the cut, Sam didn't have any other injuries to explain bloody marks on his throat. Dean guessed that the fingerprints on their throats might have been from Roy and Walt checking for their pulses before leaving the motel.

"Better not be. Try explaining why you're dead again to Joshua just moments after already sending us down," Dean tried to joke, but it failed miserably. Sam looked like he was on the verge of a complete breakdown. "Just sit tight."

Dean hurried over to a table where he found their personal effects. Sam would feel better and less vulnerable with something to wear. Their shirts had been cut up and useless, but at least their pants were salvageable. He put on his own before hurrying to Sam, helping his brother to dress. Sam looked like hell. He probably felt like hell too, but he managed to stand without assistance long enough for Dean to buckle his belt,

"We need shirts!" Dean didn't realize he was panicking before Sam grabbed his arm with one hand.

"Dude, if we're gonna g...get out of h-here unnoticed, y-need to foc's." Sam grimaced again when a small movement hurt his chest. Dean nodded, forcing himself to remain calm and took a deep breath before going on search for something for them to wear. He found a coat closet where someone had stashed a plain white shirt that he quickly pulled on. There was a jacket that should fit Sam and helped his brother into it without easing the pressure on the chest wound. Once Sam had the jacket on he left it unzipped so he could keep the towel on the cut as they made their escape.

"We can get out through those windows," Dean said and went over to some windows near the ceiling. He opened it and noticed the grass right outside the window which meant they were at basement level of some building.

"Someone's coming," Sam groaned as he pushed away from the table and hurried as fast as he could to Dean. Sure enough, they could hear footsteps coming down the hallway outside the morgue and there was sounds of other doors opening and closing. Dean grabbed a chair to climb up and wriggled through the narrow window. Once out on the grass he took in their surroundings. He sighed in relief when he saw an empty parking lot and a forest just beyond that. If they were lucky they would be able to escape unnoticed. Or, until the coroner woke up again.

"Grab my hand. Be careful," Dean whispered to Sam as his brother tried to get out with using one arm, stretching his chest as little as possible and being as quiet as possible. Sam had just gotten his legs out too when the door to the morgue opened and they heard distressed voices. They carefully closed the window after them and ran across the parking lot and into the forest.

* * *

"Poor woman. She just experienced the most unlikely, yet most feared thing that could happen in a morgue," Sam muttered tiredly. He could only assume how terrified she had to feel right before she passed out, the "corpse" that she was supposed to be dissecting suddenly opening his eyes. He was terrified too. Waking up with bright lights blinding him, a woman cutting his chest was not something he was going to shake off too quickly.

"Mhm," Dean said, not really caring. Now that they were away from the morgue, his initial panic had receded enough for his other worries to made a reappearance. He tried to forget about everything that happened in Heaven, but it kept nagging him no matter what he did.

"Dean. Please," Sam complained from somewhere behind him and Dean turned around. The towel Sam held to his chest was soaked red by now and his skin was pale. Dean waited for him to come closer before grabbing Sam's free arm and pulled it over his shoulders, none too gently.

"Please don't let what you saw in Heaven screw everything up," Sam begged and Dean did the mistake to look up at him, meeting the puppy eyes he had grown up with.

"Sam," Dean started, not wanting to talk about it. Now wasn't the time, not when he was hurting so badly at seeing how easily Sam had been able to walk away from him, each and every time. That his brother was happier without him in his life.

"I mean it, Dean. I couldn't control what memories we saw. I don't know how to convince you, but I've got so many amazing memories with you too. I just don't know why you didn't see them. I promise," Sam begged and Dean sighed loudly.

"Sam, just leave it alone," he growled. Dean was annoyed with how Sam just couldn't take a hint, but had to silently admit that it felt good that Sam tried to reassure him. He just wished he could believe Sam, but he'd seen the evidence with his own eyes.

"It's just… those days that were Heaven for you, Sam… they were hell for me," Dean admitted sadly, hoisting Sam's arm better over his shoulders as they came to a downhill slope. It wasn't going to be easy getting Sam down it without hurting him further.

"I know, Dean. I'm sorry," Sam mumbled tiredly. He looked down at his brother, seeing the hurt gaze in Dean's eyes.

"Those memories didn't show you everything, Dean. The only reason leaving for Stanford is a good memory for me is because I finally got to do what I wanted. I never knew how much it hurt you," Sam explained.

Dean was having a hard time maintaining his anger with Sam at the moment. Sam's rambling excuses were grating on his nerves, but he knew that his brother was probably telling the truth. Even so, it didn't lessen the pain that had settled deep in Dean's chest.

"Okay, Sam. But I mean it. Shut up. Focus on staying awake because I'm sure as hell not going to be able to drag you around in this forest," Dean snapped and Sam finally decided to do as he was told. They walked for another ten minutes in silence before they reached a path close to the road. Dean suddenly recognized where they were. They had driven by on that same road when coming to the town which meant they had to be close to the hotel.

* * *

"Oh sweetheart. Good to see you," Dean groaned tiredly as he and Sam finally arrived to the parking lot. Dean leaned over the roof of the Impala, hugging it with his arms stretched out. Sam snorted, but too tired to do anything else then to lean against the side of the car, trying to hold himself up.

"Okay, so our room is a crime scene now," Dean said when he noted the yellow police banner crossing over the door. He looked around to make sure nobody saw them, thankful that the motel's reception was around the corner and out of direct sight.

"Just wait here. I need to get the car keys and our stuff. If they're still there," Dean explained to Sam, making sure his brother would be able to stay on his feet for just a few more minutes.

"Hurry," Sam urged and Dean jogged over to their room, picked the lock and ducked under the police banners.

He grimaced at the sight that met him. Their room was truly a crime scene, with blood on both beds, even splattered on the walls. There were some smudges and footprints on the floor that the crime scene investigators had marked a circle around. The gun Roy and Walt had managed to snatch from under Dean's pillow was gone, most likely taken as evidence and Dean was thankful they had left the rest of their weapons safely in the car.

Dean was grateful to see that the police had done a pretty shoddy investigation and had left behind most of their things rather than bagging everything for evidence. He found his and Sam's jacket by the door and grabbed them before he knelt down by one of the beds and was relieved when he found his bag of clothes. Sam had left his bag in the car the night they were attacked, having been too tired at the day of arrival to bring it in. Once Dean was sure he had retrieved whatever of their possessions that were left behind by the police, he hurried out to the car and fished out the keys from his jacket pocket.

"Looking a little pale there, Sammy. Just hold on a little more. You're doing good," Dean reassured him and put their stuff on the ground. Sam nodded weakly and Dean quickly checked his pulse and clammy forehead before opening the passenger door and helping Sam in.

Once Sam was in he made sure nobody was watching before stuffing their things into the trunk and getting in behind the wheel. The sooner they were away from this place, the better he would feel.

* * *

"Sam?" Dean's voice penetrated the fuzzy world he was in and it took him a little while before he realized the car had been parked and it was just his head that was spinning.

"Sam? You awake?" The voice was clearer now and Sam turned towards it and opened an eye.

"Where are we?" Sam frowned at the pain in his chest as he moved.

"Stay still. We're just pulled over right now. I need to check out your chest," Dean whispered and carefully removed Sam's hand and the towel.

"Sure about that?" Sam snickered stupidly and Dean just sighed.

"Shut up, Sam. I need to check the wound, you idiot." He winced when he finally got a good look at the cut. Sure, he had seen worse wounds on his brother, but it was how Sam came by that wound that sent chills down Dean's spine. It was still seeping a little blood, but it wasn't as bad as it had been. Most of the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

"Think I need to stitch you up a little. I'll be right back." Dean stepped out of the car and ran to the trunk, got their first aid knit and a blanket before returning to Sam.

" We're not far away enough to stop yet, but I want to stitch up the wound now. I'm going to lay the seat down so don't freak," Dean warned as he held one hand to Sam's shoulder while he reached over to the handle that reclined the whole front seat back. Sam made an annoyed grunt as he suddenly laid back with the seat. Dean turned on the interior lights before getting to work. He found some painkillers for Sam and a bottle of water lying in the backseat. It wasn't cold, but Sam drank thirstily when Dean fed him the pills.

The meds weren't enough to knock Sam out completely, but he was so tired from their escape and blood loss that he drifted into semi consciousness Once Sam had seemingly dropped off into dream world, Dean started the first stitches, cleaning up some blood as he went. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, never enjoying having to pierce his brother's skin with needles. He always hated to see Sam hurt. Once finished, Dean cleaned up Sam's chest and raised the seat again, wanting Sam to be comfortable. He covered up Sam with their emergency blanket and checked his temperature before getting back behind the wheel. He wanted to get a few more miles between them and the place they were murdered before he could start to relax.

It was barely ten minutes into the drive that they drove past another motel, but what caught his attention was a car in the parking lot he recognized. He made a U-turn and parked beside the other car. Checking that Sam was still dozing, he got out and double checked the plate. He hadn't been mistaken.

"Roy and Walt… You boys should have gone further," Dean muttered, biting his bottom lip. He looked around the dark parking lot before grabbing up a knife from the trunk of the Impala. Leaning down and grinning wickedly, he stabbed two of the wheels on the hunters' car. He tossed the knife back into the trunk before pulling out his phone and called the police.

"Hey, I heard the police are looking for suspects in a murder case at one of the motels in your town?" Dean told the operator as he climbled back into the car. Once he was gave the police the address of the motel where they could find Roy and Walt, he drove away just far enough that they wouldn't be immediately spotted, but there he'd be able to see the action. Dean wanted to make the two hunters pay dearly for what they'd done to him and Sam, but this was the best he could do now. He didn't have time to chase backstabbing hunters now. The police would find enough evidence on the two of them to link them to the murders they'd committed, like the shoeprints at the motel and...

Dean tilted his head a little at a new thought. If he guessed right, that the blood on their throats was left by the other hunters checking for their pulses before leaving, the police should find evidence on Roy and Walt when they got picked up. Even if there wasn't enough evidence to convince the hunters, it should be enough to keep the two hunters off the road and away from them for a while.

"Payback is sweet," Dean said to Sam although his brother was still sleeping. When he heard the approaching police he started he Impala and left the place before they got there.


	25. Yanked

Ahem yeah. Just remember everytime you think I'm taking my sweet time posting - I am done written the fic so then I'm late either because I have the chapters on beta check or something else has been occupying me! But here's my anyway!

If you're interrested in reading more from me when I'm done with this fic I will post a fic I've already written that is sort of continuing off THIS chapter. A pre-series fic that is and some limp!Sam obviously. So if that sounds interesting and you like this chapter then... yeah XD Sorry for the shameless promoting lol. Enjoy!

Oh and just a note, **most** names I've taken from the series as well. Becky, Zach and Emily is names we hear in "Skin" and well Brady in "The Devil You Know."

_Thanks to **supernaturalmydreams** for beta reading the fic!_

* * *

**Y - Yanked  
**_- Set pre-series. Stanford era. Non-demon Brady ;D_

"Where is Becky?" Zach asked out loud, fingers drumming on the outside of the car door.

"She's your sister," Sam reminded him from the backseat. A large group of Stanford students had planned a weekend at a camp in a forest, about an hour drive from the university. Sam was going, along with his friends.

"She's your friend," Zach reminded back and Emily rolled her eyes. She had been dating Zach for about four months and knew how her boyfriend and Sam could go on forever trying to outsmart the other.

"She's right there," Brady said uninterested and nodded in the direction of a store. Sure enough the tall, blond girl was coming out of a store, two bags filled with whatever she had bought.

"Hi! Sorry for being late! I had to do a last minute shopping!" Becky stuffed the bags into the already filled trunk before putting on her sunglasses and coming up on the side of her brother's roofless car,

"Where am I sitting?" she asked when she saw her brother and Emily in the front seats and Sam and Brady crammed in the backseat.

"You just have to squeeze in between us," Brady explained a little sourly. He wasn't really up for a weekend full of partying since he wasn't really into that sort of life, but since Sam was going he decided to go too.

"My pleasure," Becky snickered and climbed into the car over Brady before squeezing down between them. Once settled Zach started the car and they were off.

"You got any idea how many is coming? I hope there's no teachers there," Zach said before honking once at a passing cars filled with classmates also going.

"Between 20 and 30 I think," Sam answered,

"Oh and two teachers," he hid a grin when Zach groaned loudly.

"That's all?" Emily turned in her seat to look at Sam.

"Yeah I think there was lack of cars and since none of the school buses are being used, I guess a lot can't come," Sam said and started fiddling with his music player, putting one earplug into his ear.

"I can't believe I'm coming. I hate sleeping in tents. Besides, these kinds of things always end bad in horror movies," Becky complained. Sure Becky was a cool chick and tougher than she looked, but she was more of a city girl and sleeping in the forest for two nights wasn't her idea of fun. She was a social girl though and liked spending time with her friends, so in the end that won her over.

"Yeah, and it's always either black guys or blondies that dies first," Brady snickered when Becky hit him across the head.

"Shut up," she huffed and settled better into the seat to get more comfy for the ride.

* * *

**What's up, Sammy?** Sam read the text message he just received from his brother and smiled a little, the feeling of missing his big brother blossoming up again. He texted back at once.  
**A little trip out to a lake with some friends and people from school.** Sam explained. He got an answer back in record time, asking where this place was. Shrugging he wrote it down and sent to Dean, not sure why he cared about that. They texted back and forth for a while until Sam had no choice but to focus on the fact that they were at their destination. Zach and Emily were quickly out of the car, clasping hands with other classmates. Luckily their camping place was just a few meters walk from the cars and was by a lake and rocky hills sticking right up from the forest. It was very pretty there and Becky was quick to pick up her camera and started snapping photos of everything and everyone.

"Who's sharing tents with me? I refuse to sleep alone," Becky said.

"I'm sharing with Em obviously," Zach said and kissed his girlfriend on the temple before unloading their belongings onto the ground.

"I doubt you want to share a tent with two guys," Brady came up beside Sam and picked up their tents.

"I doubt that too," Becky shrugged. Suddenly there was squealing all around - Becky had apparently found some friends she hadn't known were coming and now had a tent to stay in.  
Once everyone was ready, they started towards the camp - looking for a nice place to put up their tents. There were a few tents up already, but there were still many coming so some good places were still available. Sam and Brady found a place right beside the water's edge, under two trees and beside Zach and Emily's tent.

"I sure hope they don't plan on keeping people awake," Brady looked a little worried.

"I'm with you there," Sam snickered. Together they started putting up their tent, working at a steady pace, both quite good with the outdoors.

"You going home for Thanksgiving?" Sam asked just as they finished and sat down for a rest. Thanksgiving break was only a week away and the whole school was getting ready. Brady started rummaging through his bag before finding sodas for himself and Sam,

"Yeah. First the family was going to my aunt's in Montana, but then it turned the other way around. Are you?" Brady asked, batting a mosquito away.

"I don't know," Sam said shortly. He hoped he would get to see Dean, but since his brother didn't know where they would be next week, there was no telling.

"Right. Mr. Mysterio," Brady snickered and shook his head,

"Are you ever going to tell me anything about your family?" he asked curiously,

"they can't be that bad."

"It isn't that. It's just... complicated. It's nothing you need to worry about," Sam explained with a sad smile. He wanted to tell Brady the truth since he was his friend, but he knew just as well that he couldn't. He didn't want to drag his friend into the supernatural world.

"Okay," Brady didn't want to push Sam into telling if he didn't want to.

* * *

An hour later there were a lot less place in the camp, people had put up tents in a big circle facing the water. Inside the circle, people started making bonfires out of stones, then placing twigs and easily flammable grass inside.  
"Dammit," Brady cursed and clumsily found his way out of the tent.

"What?" Sam said from where he was sitting on a log, eyes landing on a pretty blond girl not far away.

"I don't think I have enough food for tomorrow too," Brady scratched the back of his neck. He was sure he had planned enough food, but unfortunately had forgotten something back home.

"I saw a little store ten minutes down the road we came from. Maybe we can borrow Zach's car or walk there tomorrow," Sam suggested, but not taking his eyes of the pretty blonde. Brady noticed that Sam wasn't really paying attention and turned to look where Sam was looking.

"Enjoying the view are we?" Brady joked and noticed the girl from his class Sam was watching. She was pulling her shirt over her head so she could walk around in her bikini and skirt, like some of her girlfriends.

"Hm? Yeah, sure," Sam shrugged. He blushed a little when the girl noticed him. She smiled and blushed a little too before looking away.

"That's. Uh, what's her name. She's in my class," Brady started, tapping his chin with a finger, an epic frown on his face.

"You always sucked at names," Sam laughed.

"Hey you haven't known me for 'always'," Brady defended, his face lit up when he remembered the name,

"Jessica! Don't remember her last name though."  
Sam nodded once and turned to look where the pretty girl had gone, face falling a little when he couldn't see her any longer.

"Hey, that's our spot," a voice interrupted Sam's thoughts. Both Sam and Brady looked over their shoulders and saw a buff guy, no doubt a jock when he had been in high school.

"Really? It kinda look like ours," Brady said and straightened up. He wasn't nearly as tall as Sam, but he had a few inches on the jock, though not as many muscles.

"Listen smartass, we were a little late, but that's our spot nonetheless," the kid said, poking Brady in the shoulder. Sam stood up beside his friend, towering a little over the jock.

"Who are you?" he asked calmly and guy and his friends looked at him instead.

"Jacob. What's it to you?" he said and pulled his bag higher up on his shoulder.

"Well Jacob. This isn't high school anymore. Maybe it's time to grow up a little and act like an adult?" Sam knew he was walking onto thin ice, but he really wasn't going to let a jock push him around.

"You know what? Screw you," Jacob groaned and walked off.

"How did he get into Stanford?" Brady looked unimpressed after Jacob.

"One of the many mysteries of life," Sam snorted.

* * *

While some people bathed in the lake, including his friends, some barbequed, but Sam snuck away to make a phone call. Once by Zach's car, he could the sound of another arriving car, but he barely glanced up, assuming it was just some late students. He froze when he saw a black Impala roll into the packed parking lot and just stared dumbly when he recognized the driver.  
"Dean?" Sam walked closer when his brother stepped out of the car with a big smile on his face,

"What are you doing here?" Sam grinned from ear to ear and hugged his brother. Dean embraced his little brother and patted him on the back.

"Nice to see you too," Dean ruffled Sam's hair before letting him go,

"I was nearby and when you said where you where I couldn't help but check in on you," Dean explained, leaning against the hood.

"Glad you did," Sam pocketed his hands.

"So why are you out here all alone?" Dean asked as they started walking toward the lake, but away from the other people.

"I was about to call you actually. It's been a while so I just thought, why not?" Sam shrugged. Dean smiled at that and they walked in silence for until they came to the lake and sat down.

"So, how's college treating you?" Dean asked giving Sam a tight smile. He missed his little brother and wished more than anything to have him back in the hunting life, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be proud of him. Usually, it was the parent that should be proud of their kid for getting into a University like Stanford, but since John practically didn't show emotion, Dean did. Besides, it was more Dean who had raised Sam than John. It still hurt though, thinking of the night that Sam ran away to college.

"It's cool. Got good friends, doing good in all of my classes," Sam said casually, unsure of whether Dean really wanted to know.

"Any girlfriends?" Dean wiggled his eyebrows.

"No," Sam sighed a little. He couldn't really deny it. A girlfriend would be nice, but at the same time he was a guy with many secrets who hated lying. Being in a relationship might be a little difficult in his position.

"So. Still a virgin huh?" Dean snickered and Sam gaped at him. "Dean! You're allowed to use your upstairs brain once in a while," Sam palmed his face in annoyance, but Dean just laughed.

"Take that as a no," Dean scratched the back of his neck,

"Don't tell me it's because you're afraid to bring people into your life? I mean, I understand, but if you're trying out the college life anyway, why not take it all in?."

Dean snickered again, "literary."

"You know I'm not like you," Sam defended, raising his hands in defense before poking his tongue out.

"There's nothing wrong with one night stands, prude," Dean defended back,

"As long as you don't catch anything," Dean winked.

"Okay, dude, this is getting gross. Can we talk about something else? Like, why you were in this area?" Sam asked.

"A ghost actually. I'm done with research, but going after it tomorrow. Wanna come?" Dean asked hopefully although he already knew the answer.

"You know the answer to that. Besides, I can't just vanish for hours either," Sam explained and Dean nodded, understanding that well enough.

"Well I should probably go. I can come back here tomorrow night if you like?" Dean said and stood up, walking back to the car.

"Sure. That'd be cool," Sam smiled. When they got to the Impala they found five drunk kids admiring the Impala and it didn't take long for Dean to scare them away.

"Awesome car though!" one of the kids shouted after them as they ran and Dean nodded knowingly, patting the car on the hood.

"So you've still got the car, huh? Has Dad found one for himself yet, or is he still borrowing a car from uncle Bobby?" Sam asked.

"Yeah actually. Took some time saving up the money, but he bought this huge monster of a truck," Dean said impressed,

"It's got nothing on the Impala, but it's great. Totally Dad."

They chit-chatted for another minute before finally separating. Sam returned to his friends.

* * *

Saturday passed quickly. Half the students were hungover and Sam and Brady were two of just six people taking the walk to the store. It would've taken ten minutes to drive, so it took a while to walk, but it was nice. The half hungover students walking in front of them on the road seemed to be a bit fresher by the time they reached the store.  
The weather was hot so they wore shorts and t-shirts, their arms had turned red quite quickly. Turned out not only had Brady also forgotten sunscreen, but Sam had as well. When they got back, the camp was more alive than when they left and they spent the rest of the day chatting with Zach, Becky and Emily, bathing, and looking for the hot blonde girl from the day before. She would pop up once in a while, once even winking at Sam.  
It was when the sun was setting that trouble came. Sam collided by accident with none other than Jacob, their new favorite bully from the day before.

"Look where you're go-" Jacob stopped once he recognized Sam,

"Oh well, it's you again."  
Just their luck, Jacob was quite drunk and although both Sam and Brady had been drinking some too, they weren't nearly as out of it like Jacob. When Sam just rolled his eyes to continue walking he felt someone grabbing the back of the neck of his shirt and yank him back.

"Listen asshole. You don't just bump into people like that and don't say sorry," Jacob hissed in his ear. Sam grabbed at his shirt that was closing around his throat. He had no intention on saying sorry to Jacob, especially not when he wasn't even able to breathe normally.

"Hey, let him go!" Brady pushed at Jacob uselessly and one of his friends grabbed him and pushed him away. Before Sam had a chance to react, Jacob yanked at his shirt again so hard Sam saw stars. He went down with a thud when Jacob released him and it wasn't before then that he noticed some of the other students had stopped what they were doing.

"Dammit," Sam wheezed, grabbing his throat, trying to rub the pain away. Then he felt someone grab him by the collar again and suddenly blinding pain shot through his head.

"That's it!" Brady shouted in anger, not letting the other guys keep using Sam as a punching bag, but before he could do anything one of the teachers that had come along pushed Jacob away from Sam. Brady was quickly helping Sam keep balance and together they returned to their tent.

"Son of a bitch!" Sam groaned in anger when he carefully felt his brow with his hand.

"He totally head butted you," Brady explained, handing Sam a piece of cloth to hold to the bleeding brow. Sam silently thanked him and rubbed his neck again.

"You okay?" the teacher was suddenly kneeling beside Sam, spooking him a bit.

"Just brilliant," Sam said sarcastically. He felt the teacher check out the red marks around his throat, but came to the conclusion that it wasn't too bad.

"I think you should be fine, but I'd like you to get that checked out, just in case, when we get to school tomorrow," the teacher explained. They just nodded and the teacher left. The students had returned to their own business again and Sam grabbed after another beer, feeling really in the need for one.

* * *

"Are you drunk?"  
That was the first thing Dean asked when he got out of the Impala as Sam sat down on the hood of the car.

"Just a tiny bit," Sam confessed, "I'm living the college life like you wanted."  
Dean shrugged. He was dirty and his usually spiky hair wasn't as spiky as it normally was, but he seemed satisfied which meant the hunt had been successful. Then he noticed the dried blood on Sam's brow and was over him in seconds.

"What the fuck happened?" Dean tipped Sam's head a bit, taking notice that his brother didn't even bother pushing him away.

"Some bully. Real dick," Sam swallowed some more beer before giving his brother a little smile,

"I'm fine, Dean. And no, don't even think about it. You don't even know what he looks like," he warned as Dean seemed ready to march into the camp to kick some ass.

"Look. I got you a beer," Sam held up a bottle for him, knowing his brother wasn't a big follower on the no driving and drinking rule. Dean accepted it, but studied Sam for a little longer.

"So what did you do?" Dean asked, leaning against the car too.

"Walked into the guy by accident," Sam shrugged and took another sip.

"Aren't you guys getting a little old to keep acting like that in college?" Dean frowned. He'd expect that kind of behavior by someone in high school, but by someone studying at Stanford?

"I know. Guess he's got a rich daddy or something," Sam said, not really interested,

"So how did the hunt go?" Sam changed the topic and Dean eagerly told his story. Except that he had been thrown around a little, it was an easy salt and burn. The ghost was, according to Dean, hot despite being dead and Sam had to smile at that. That was good old Dean.  
When it was time for Dean to leave again, Sam decided to ask what he had wanted to ask for a long time.

"Do you think you're be around here next week?" Sam asked before Dean could start the car. Dean looked up through the open window and shrugged his shoulders,

"I dunno, why?" then he realized what time of the year that was,

"Thanksgiving?" Dean's face lit up a bit and Sam nodded.

"I just wondered if it would be possible to catch up with you during Thanksgiving?" Sam suggested and Dean's face lit up even more.

"That would be great," Dean grinned,

"What day are you finished?"

"Thursday," Sam said and they agreed to meet then.  
It wasn't that hard to watch Dean drive away this time, now that he knew he would see him again in a few days.

* * *

**Thursday**

"See you soon," Sam clapped Brady on the shoulder as they got out of school and walked over to Brady's car.

"Yeah. Sure, if we have to," Brady joked, receiving a nudge in the shoulder,

"Good that you'll get to spend Thanksgiving with your brother. Beats hanging around here."

"Yeah, no arguing with you there," Sam helped putting Brady's bag into the back of his car. They hugged quickly before Brady got into the car, both unaware that the next time they met each other, everything would be very different.

Once Brady had driven off, Sam rubbed at his neck again. It still hurt a tiny bit from Jacob's bullying, but it hadn't been anything dangerous. He had gotten it checked out despite not really seeing the point in it, but better safe than sorry. He jumped a little when he heard a honk and turned to see the black Impala waiting for him.

* * *

**TBC...**


	26. Zapped by Angel

I guess this is it? The final chapter. Wow. A little show on the update - sorry about that, but it's here now. Final chapter that is. I do have one or two alt. chapters that I planned on posting too - one which is also "Zapped", but totally didn't work out and was the perfect example of my creativity taking a holiday lol.

Anyway focus on this one. A chapter with a mix of serious, humor and bro moments. Hope it works as a final chapter.

_Thanks to both **Ravanne** and **supernaturalmydreams** (also for this one) for their work as my spellcheckers through the whole thing!_

* * *

**Z - Zapped by Angel**

_- Alt. version of "99 Problems" and "Point of No Return"_

* * *

"I swear to God, Cas. Stop it," Dean complained.

"He won't hear you, Dean," Castiel mumbled as he stumbled down the road in front of them. Dean and Sam shared an equally questioning look before following.

"Where are we anyway?" Sam asked the terribly drunk angel as he looked around. He saw ocean in every direction; they were on board a huge boat.

"I'm not going to tell you," Castiel stopped up and looked at Sam.

"Dammit, I am not in mood for this," Dean warned and pointed accusingly at Castiel, but the angel just reached over to them and placed his fingers to their foreheads again. Seconds later they were at some endless beach, Sam fell over in the sand,

"Man, you have to stop that. I think my brain is liquefying," Sam complained, hand planted firmly against his head,

"I'm gonna pass out if you keep doing this," Sam said softly. Dean sighed and knelt down by his brother, patting him on the thigh,

"Yeah and my stomach is starting to rebel," Dean informed and Sam wrinkled his nose,

"You know what that means?"

Castiel just dropped down in the sand too, waving a hand,  
"I assume you won't poop for another week?" the angel asked and Sam wrinkled his nose even more. Dean just nodded once and was about to continue complaining when Sam spoke up,

"We don't happen to be somewhere in California do we?" Sam asked. Castiel sighed loudly, got up unsteadily and stumbled over to them. Before they had time to jump away, the angel once again placed his fingers on their foreheads.  
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves on top of a skyscraper and Sam sunk to the low wall surrounding the roof of the building. Dean grabbed Sam's arms when he came way too close to falling over the side and pulled him down to the ground.

"I think he's trying to keep you away from your farewell tour, Dean," Sam explained and looked accusingly at his brother.

"Is that so?" Dean looked up at Castiel and the angel just nodded while walking around in a circle.

"Yep. And keep you away from Zachariah," Castiel admitted.

"Ah, continue then," Sam offered and Dean stared at him angrily,

"I don't care if you keep going till I pass out, as long as you keep him away from Michael."  
Dean glared at him now, but Sam ignored him.

"Thank you," Castiel whispered loudly.

"Well maybe should take us away again then, because I know we're in New York," Dean said grumpily and stood up. Castiel shrugged and walked to Dean, but then Dean jumped away and Castiel groaned loudly and followed. Dean dodged Castiel a few times and it actually brought a tiny smile on the eldest Winchester's face despite trying to keep it off. A second's distraction was enough for the drunk angel to throw himself at him and suddenly they were gone.

"They left me!" Sam stood up, swaying a bit before walking around the roof until he heard wings behind him. He turned around and Castiel put his fingers to his forehead and everything turned black.

* * *

"What did you do?" Dean came running up the hill he had just climbed down from - trying to escape while Castiel was away, when he saw his brother collapse in the angel's arms. He was a little surprised when the drunk angel managed to be careful with the seemingly weightless load.

"I guess he wasn't kidding when he said he'd pass out soon," Castiel croaked and put Sam down on the ground as Dean reached them. Sam woke up pretty quickly, only to lean over and puke on Castiel's shoes. Dean felt his stomach rebel even more now, but snickered and looked up at the angel,

"Maybe you could zap us to a toilet?" he suggested. Castiel tilted his head and studied his bile coated shoes.

"I could use a rest," Castiel realized, but didn't make any effort to move.

"Maybe... maybe you can take us to Bobby," Sam said before he threw up once more - this time Dean had to look away. Castiel put his fingers on their forehead's once Sam was done throwing up, and in a matter of seconds, they all crashed onto Bobby's sofa; Sam was unconscious again.

"What the hell!" Bobby rolled his wheelchair around his desk to the drunk angel, Dean was rubbing his stomach, and Sam was lying as long as he was across them.

"Take care of, Sam! Need. Toilet. Now!" Dean moved Sam's legs off him and bolted for the bathroom, but Castiel made no effort to move, just grinned sadly at Bobby.

"Hi. I think they're jet-lagged," he explained. Bobby rolled over to Sam and rested a hand on the kid's forehead before ushering the angel away so Sam could have the couch for himself.

"Are you drunk?" Bobby eyed the swaying angel.

"A little," Castiel leaned forward to whisper and sat down in a chair. Sam coughed once and Bobby quickly rolled into the kitchen to get water for Sam and a towel to clean up the youngest Winchester. Sam sat up a bit, leaning on one elbow as he drank the water before drying off his face with the towel. Suddenly Castiel vanished from the chair, only to pop back a second later with Dean beside him.

"You should keep an eye on him," Castiel squinted at Dean with angry eyes before sitting down again.

"I wasn't running away, man! How could I? My stomach is stone," Dean complained and plopped down in another chair. He turned and met Sam's eyes,

"You okay there, princess?"

"Bite me," Sam muttered annoyed.

"Where have you been?" Bobby looked from Sam to Dean to Castiel, nobody answered.

"Well?" the old hunter urged and Castiel sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair.

"I've been trying to keep Dean busy," the angel admitted.

"Yeah. We've been to California, New York, a mountain in Denver, a forest in no-mans land and on some ship on the ocean," Dean put on a fake smile and looked at Sam. His little brother was lying on the sofa, hand over his closed eyes, obviously feeling like crap.

"And I'm pretty sure we were in the Sahara," Sam mumbled annoyed.

"Oh yeah," Castiel snickered,

"It was real hot there."  
Then the long awaited awkward silence came.

"How's your tummy?" Sam suddenly asked and opened one eye to look at Dean. Nobody said anything before Dean broke out laughing.

"Like I've been zapped around by a drunk angel," Dean shrugged. Bobby silently rolled out of the of the room followed by Castiel, very slowly.

"I can't believe you just took off like that," Sam mumbled and sat up.

"Well then you know how I feel," Dean threw back and Sam had to bite his bottom lip from shouting at him.

"This is not a joke, Dean. You can't just give up like that! Apparently I'm not the only one who should learn from my mistakes," Sam accused and Dean just scoffed.

"Sam you're my brother and I love you and all that, but..." Dean licked his lip, but didn't continue.

"But what?" Sam asked.

"Nothing. It's just that it's the Apocalypse, man. It's been going on for too long," Dean argued back.

"That's bullshit, Dean. You're just doing what they want you to do if you say yes," Sam accused back and Dean got up from the chair.

"You know what? We've been through this already. I'm not changing my mind," the eldest Winchester said and left the room.

* * *

"I'm sorry, man," Dean said and looked over at his little brother in the seat beside him.

"You've already said that. It's okay," Sam assured. They had escaped the beautiful room, one brother and two angels less and Dean had decided in the last second to believe in his brother again.

"Yeah, I know, but-" Dean bit his bottom lip when Sam cut him off with a hand.

"Stop saying that. After everything I've done, you have nothing to be sorry about," Sam assured and Dean just scoffed.

"You're such a girl," Dean ran a hand over his eyes. He was so freaking tired and they had already been driving for two hours.

"Ha-ha," Sam said sarcastically, but a tiny smile was still playing on his lips. Right now he was just as tired as his brother, but he couldn't stop smiling. He was so proud of his big brother right now. It took quite a lot of effort to not break out laughing with joy.

"You know what? I'm sick of driving. What do you say to a beer?" Dean nodded up ahead to a bar in the town they were driving through.

"Do you think that's such a good idea?" Sam was all for stopping, but drinking?

"Yeah I think it's the best idea I've had in a while," Dean snickered and steered the car into the parking lot,

"We gotta celebrate."

"Uh. Sure, but the apocalypse is still going on you know," Sam looked at Dean again once the car stopped, but they did not start to get out.

"I know, smartass. But we should celebrate the death of the biggest angel dick ever," Dean said with a sly grin,

"And I'm not one to celebrate death."

"Meh," Sam grimaced.

"Meh?" Dean frowned.

"I'd rather celebrate my big brother," Sam suggested and Dean actually looked a little surprised.

"Aw, you're so cute," Dean laughed and pinched one of Sam's cheeks,

"I'm up for that."

* * *

"I don't think I ever told you this, but remember that geek that switched bodies with you?" Dean snickered and took a long sip from his beer.

"It's kind of hard to forget about it when you keep reminding me!," Sam complained a little, but couldn't keep pouting for long. He still had that silly smile on his face.

"Yeah well, that night we - before I knew Gary was you - we sat in a bar and ate," Dean said, snorting a little and Sam tilted his head, not seeing what was so funny about it.

"Wow, food at a bar. Congratulations," Sam laughed when Dean tossed a french fry at him.

"The point is that it had been such a long time since we had eaten together in a bar and had a good time. Of course it turned out not to be you anyway," Dean said and Sam finally understood what he meant.

"We are now," Sam grinned stupidly and forked his salad.

"At least you understood where I was going with it," Dean rolled his eyes and lifted his burger for a bite. They ate in silence for a moment and Dean couldn't help but get all warm inside when he noticed the smile on Sam's face that just wouldn't go away. He knew his brother inside out and there was no doubt that this was a proud smile. Dean hadn't thought he'd ever see that again.

"Now you just have to learn to eat healthier," Sam added with a wink.

"Or you could just eat real food," Dean replied quickly. They spent the rest of the evening together before getting a motel room with the money they had won hustling pool.

"This was so cool," Sam giggled, arm draped over Dean's while Dean's arm was draped over his big brother's shoulders.

"We should drink all the time," Dean suggested, hiccupping drunkenly.

"Na-ah! That's not healthy," Sam reminded him as they tried to find the correct room and walk in a straight line as well.

"Screw healthy. It isn't healthy dying over and over again either," Dean reminded his brother, then his face lit up when he saw the right room number on a door.

"True," Sam snickered when Dean couldn't get the key into the keyhole.

"Come on, lemme," Sam grabbed for the key, but Dean wrestled it away before trying again. He finally got the door opened.

"Now I need a good sleep," Dean muttered. They both collapsed onto their own beds, too tired to get undressed.


	27. Alt Chapter Z

As promised - though very late - I have a alternative chapter for "Z" which also happens to be "Zapped", but not by an angel XD I might have another chapter too, but we'll see how that goes.

Anyway this is an alt. chapter because though I wrote it before the one I ended up posting - this one turned out over the top and far fetched. The most unlikely thing has been edited and fixed though so hope you enjoy!

_Thanks to **supernaturalmydreams** for beta checking!_

_

* * *

_

_Alt. chapter for "Z"  
_**Z - Zapped  
**_- Set to spare time in season 3_

"Geez the wind is insane," Dean complained as they sped down the road on the way to Bobby's. They had just finished a hunt not far away, but a storm had been building since yesterday and right now the wind was quite strong, blowing debris onto the road.

"Then maybe you could drive a little slower, man?" Sam suggested without looking up from the newspaper he was trying to read.

"Are you scared, Sammy?" Dean winked at his brother. Sam just groaned, waved him off, and focused on the paper again. They drove for a few more minutes without any trouble, until they finally arrived at Bobby's place.  
Just as they entered Singer's salvage yard, Dean stood on the breaks. They had to brace themselves from hitting the front shield like bugs.

"Wow," Dean gaped as the Impala came to a stop in front of a fallen beam that was meant to hold electric lines up,

"That was close."  
Sam looked from the electric lines to Dean,

"That would have made one hell of a dent in your car if you hadn't stopped in time."

Sam squinted out of the window and saw Bobby coming out on the porch. Sam stepped out of the car to inspect the damages more closely. He noticed that the beam was lying across the ground, but at an angle so that they might be able to drive past it and still avoid the Impala colliding with any of the trash cans Bobby had.

"Hey, Dean," Sam leaned down to the door so he could see his brother,

"I can see a way for you to drive. Just follow where I point okay?"

"Be careful," Dean shouted after him as Sam closed the door and walked over the road.

The trees in the distance were waving dangerously in the wind and Sam could feel himself being pushed around a little. It wasn't strong enough to throw him off his feet, but he knew he had to look out for flying objects. He saw where the Impala could get through and waved Dean to follow. Sam jumped a little when he saw sparks from a loose electric line, but it didn't seem to be anywhere close to him so he kept guiding Dean through the dark.  
As Dean drove past him slowly, he held up a thumbs up for his brother and a big grin, but it changed as if in slow motion when he saw an electric line get picked up by the wind.

"Sam!" he shouted, but of course his brother wouldn't be able to hear him through the closed windows and over the wind. Sam turned around when he heard a strange sound behind him and before he had time to react, the electric line connected with his hand. He tried to pull his hand away, but it was too late and the electricity shot up his arm and through his body, throwing his long frame to the ground. Dean was out of the car instantaneously, running towards his unmoving brother. Sam's arms and legs were spread in all directions from the powerful toss and harsh landing.

"Sam!" Dean tossed himself down on the hard ground, knees complaining and he winced, but tried to ignore it. Sam's mouth was wide open as if silently screaming.

"Jesus," Dean ran his hands over Sam's face unconsciously before finally remembering what to do. He ripped open Sam's jacket and started compressions,

"One, two, three, four, five..." he counted out loud without knowing it, his eyes seeing his brother's body limply complying. Dean then carefully tilted Sam's head back, pinched his nose with his fingers and placed his mouth over Sam's breathing twice, both times relieved that his chest lifted. Both times disappointed that it didn't continue on its own.

"DEAN!" Bobby ran in zigzag to reach them while avoiding the electric lines.

"Call the ambulance, Bobby. He's no-"

"I already called a doctor," Bobby informed urgently and knelt down beside Sam. He looked up to meet Dean's surprised eyes and continued to explain,

"I yelled to you and saw what was about to happen, but it was useless thanks to the storm. I already had the phone in hand," Bobby yelled over the holler of the wind.

"He's not breathing! We've got to get him inside!" Dean yelled and Bobby nodded in agreement.

"Come on," Dean cried and gathered Sam's long legs together so he could attempt to lift his brother. It was true that adrenaline allowed you to do things that are normally impossible. Dean was able to carry Sam to the house with a bit of Bobby's help, a task that had become impossible after Sam's teenage years. When Sam was younger, he was still tall, but at least in his late teens his brother had been just skin and bone -now he was all muscle. Dean found himself shaking with anxiety and probably strain from the weight, but they quickly got Sam onto the floor.

* * *

It was daring to not go to the hospital after an electrocution, but Dean had decided to trust Bobby with Sam's life now. The doctor had to be living nearby because she was at the door just minutes later. She was in her late 40s. She had brown hair in a tight pony tail and a serious look on her face. From the moment they got Sam inside they had been continuing CPR until she arrived.

"This is such a stupid idea," the woman said and went right to work. She ripped Sam's shirt open after checking for a pulse and placed two pads on his chest.

"Where do you know her from?" Dean whispered to Bobby as he nervously watched the doctor's administrations.

"She's an old friend. She has her own private practice, but has worked at a bigger hospital before. She knows about hunting too," Bobby explained. Dean nodded absently and knelt beside Sam's head after the doctor had shocked him twice.

"We got a heartbeat," the doctor revealed. Dean was stroking Sam's forehead with his thumb and the doctor hid a sympathetic smile before continuing checking Sam over. Dean held his hand over Sam's nose and mouth when the doctor told him to, but he started freaking out again when he didn't feel anything.

"No breath," Dean said and the doctor simply nodded, automatically letting the big brother do the breathing seeing as the young man seemed to know what to do.

"Tilt his head back a little more," the Doctor instructed and Dean did as he was told and lightly placed one hand on Sam's forehead and the other under his chin. Then placing his mouth over Sam's mouth, silently thanking his brother for generally having good dental hygiene.

"That's good. Keep going," the Doctor instructed, watching and making sure things were done right, impressed with the young hunter. Dean stopped breathing for Sam when the Doctor held a hand up and stared at the youngest hunter's chest.

"He's breathing again," she said relieved. Dean sighed loudly and leaned down until his forehead rested against Sam's.

"You're going to be the death of me, kiddo," Dean straightened up and looked at Bobby,

"Well, you know what I mean," he added seeing as the deal with the crossroads demon to bring Sam back was indeed going to be the death of him.  
They got Sam onto the couch and after re-checking him, the doctor stayed with them through the whole night, making sure her patient was doing alright.

* * *

The next day, Sam and Dean were already back in the car. Sam didn't feel very good though, and slept in the backseat for most of the day. They had decided to travel for at least one day and go to the hospital they ended up at, as long as Sam didn't get worse. Dean guessed it was probably not necessary, but he had checked his brother's pulse once just to make sure he was only sleeping.

"How are you feeling?" Dean asked when Sam sat up a little, long legs stretched out on the bench and arms folded over the passenger's seat in front of him. Sam just sighed and rested his chin on his arms, closing his eyes when he felt himself getting sleepy quickly.

"M'fine," Sam opened his eyes and smiled at his big brother.

"Good," Dean smiled back and patted Sam on the arm,

"I think we've been traveling far enough to make a stop at the next hospital now."  
Turned out the nearest hospital was another hour away, but it was perfect. It was located in a relatively big town, but it was a sleepy town at that, and the hospital didn't have any cops hanging around. The check-up went smoothly. Dean knew how to lie and as long as Sam was fine and alive, well, that was all he could ask for.

"What is it about 'be careful' you don't understand?" Dean asked once he got Sam into the passenger's seat.

"Huh?" Sam frowned confused.

"When you got zapped I had told you to be careful," Dean tried to refresh his memory.

"I don't remember that," Sam batted his eyes innocently when Dean got into the car too.

"Riiight. What do you remember then?" Dean wondered.

"I remember us being on the road, but nothing after that," Sam shrugged,

"You still owe me 20 bucks though."

"Dammit," Dean laughed,

"Of course you'd remember that!"


	28. Alt Chapter J

Here we go again! This is, if I remember correct (I have ABC files on three computers now lol) the last alt. chapter that I completed. I don't seem to get anywhere with anything else so this will most likely be the very very last post in "The ABC of Limp!Sam". So again thank you all for your lovely comments, constructive or postive they're have all been welcome! All suggestons too!

This is the first "Jumped" chapter I had - seeing as it's also called the same. I ended up writing a whole 'nother story because 1. This one has Ruby in it and everyone hates Ruby - I hate Ruby. 2. It's short and lame. 3. I really don't like season 4 so I'd rather pick a season 5 ep to tag then s4 ;D

Warning: Ruby. Like the original "Jumped" this has sexual content, but nothing big deal and you should be proud of Sammy haha.

_Thanks to **supernaturalmydreams** for beta checking!_

_

* * *

_

_Alt. chapter for "J"  
_**Jumped**

_Set between season 3 and 4 - sometime after the happenings in "IKWYDLS"_

Ruby hurried after where she knew Sam had gone. She was a lot quieter though, than Sam. Sure enough when she got into the house Sam had gotten jumped by a demon and was in the middle of a fight. In a blur of motions Ruby found herself up against the wall, yelling for Sam to get the little girl out. She silently screamed at herself for getting into this situation. She couldn't die now. She had a job to do. It was Sam's fault -all of it - but she couldn't find herself angry with him because he was just starting to trust her. Her train of thought was cut short as the demon holding her started choking on itself. She looked around to see Sam with an outstretched arm, face scrunched up in pain and blood running from his nose. He did it. He actually killed a demon with his powers.

"I'm okay," he mumbled, but she could see it was a lie. She didn't need to be a mind reader to notice that. She quietly walked over to him and put one hand on his chest and snaked the other arm around his waist. He avoided looking at her, but accepted the help. He had been avoiding eye contact ever since they had slept together.

"You did good, Sammy," Ruby encouraged, trying to calm the extremely strong heartbeats under her hand.

"Don't call me that," Sam grumbled. He seemed to be aching to get away from Ruby physically. She knew all too well who he wanted…the only one he let call him Sammy. They got to the Impala and Ruby was about to put him in the backseat when he realized what she was doing.

"No. I'll drive," Sam mumbled.

"Sam, you're barely conscious," Ruby warned, but Sam just shook his head and pushed himself off of her and got behind the wheel. He didn't bother to wait for Ruby and drove off. She wouldn't have any trouble following anyway.

Ruby sighed and watched as Sam drove off. She went to her stolen car and followed. By the time she got back to the abandoned house Sam was occupying, the Impala was parked clumsily near the building, the door to the house was still open and the man himself was stretched out on the old bed. At least he had bothered to find the bed instead of the tiny couch.

"Sam," Ruby knelt beside the bed and put a hand on his forehead, but he didn't react. She had been right. He had been so close to passing out before driving off so it didn't surprise her that he was out cold now. She tilted her head and watched her thumb stroking away some hair lying across his face. She cursed herself for how things had turned out. She was using him for her own good, but she had never thought she would actually start feeling something for him. It had been ages since she was human herself, but she hadn't completely forgotten how to feel. She hadn't been lying to Sam about that. She was lying about a lot, but it was necessary for her. It was also for his own good that Dean was gone or else Sam would never get to the point where he could kill Lilith and unknowingly let Lucifer out. She stood up and started removing the jacket from his unresponsive body. He was beautiful though. Those eyes were so soulful, but the black ones would fit him even better. The muscled body, the feeling of his arms around her…she sighed and pulled away from her thoughts. She had taken advantage of him during one of his weak moments to get him to sleep with her. Since Sam took pills with alcohol, the task was even easier. Though it was mainly just to gain his trust, she had liked it…loved it! It had been so long she had had any kind of sexual relations and she didn't mind that he wasn't in his right mind. He minded though. He was so ashamed of himself and she just wanted to show him that there was no reason for that.  
He moaned when she finally managed to get the jacket completely off and she noticed a blood stain on the front of his button down shirt. She opened the last shirt and removed it and saw a long cut down the middle of his chest. It wasn't deep though. She stood up and found a cloth and drenched it in clean water before returning to Sam. She cleaned the cut causing Sam to wince a few times. She watched the slow rise and fall of his chest and found herself letting her hand rest beside the wound on the warm, naked skin.

"Don't," the low voice caused her to look up and meet his weary eyes.

"How did you get this cut?" she asked as he sat up a little on bed to look, letting his arms keep himself from falling back onto bed.

"I dunno," he muttered and took hold of the cloth and threw it away.

"Just leave me alone, please," he sat up a little more so he could lean on just one arm and check the wound himself, but instead he found his personal space filled with black hair. It took a moment to realize that Ruby was kissing him. She slid her hands teasingly up his slim clothed thighs, leaving one hand on his thigh while the other ran up his chest to cup his neck. Not really thinking of what he was doing, he kissed her back slowly and closed his eyes.

"Stop," he suddenly turned his head away, but Ruby didn't stop. She leaned down to kiss his neck and chest. Instead of giving in, this time Sam felt anger swell in his chest,

"Ruby!" he growled and tried to push her off.

"Sam, you need this. I'm maybe just a demon, but I can see right through you. You need to feel loved. You need this," she whispered seductively and captured his lips with hers again, smiling when he moaned and kissed her back. Sam realized what he was doing and pulled away again. This time his arm couldn't hold him up any longer and he fell back. Ruby took advantage of it and kissed him passionately again and let her hands roam his chest. He moaned when she bit his bottom lip and carefully clawed at his chest. She made sure to keep him too occupied to think clearly and kissed him for so long he started to starve for air. She only let him catch his breath for a second before sliding her tongue back into his mouth while her hands slowly ran down his chest to his buckle.

Sam suddenly grabbed her shoulder and threw her off him, causing her teeth to rip open his lip. He ignored it and rolled off the bed, only to land on the hard floor,

"Leave me alone!" he gasped infuriated. He felt dizzy and his heart was beating furiously. He felt something wet on his chest and assumed the cut was bleeding again.

"I'm so sorry, Sam," Ruby was down on her knees between his legs, purposely resting a hand on his thigh while patting the blood on his chest away with the other.

"I mean it, Ruby," Sam didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to see her.

"It won't happen again. Not again. Not ever. Please. Leave. Me. Alone," he felt devastated again.

"I know you enjoyed it the first time. It took your mind off everything else. It felt good, I know you felt it too," Ruby leaned forward to plant a little kiss on his bleeding bottom lip,

"You're so beautiful. But you're hurting so much. Let me help you. Let me replace the pain with pleasure. I know you-" she moved her hand from his thigh and tried to put her hands back on his chest, but this time he caught them and pushed, causing her to fall back.

"You don't know me, Ruby! If you want to help me don't ever do that again! I wasn't in my right mind that night," Sam rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Leave. I need to be alone," Sam stared intently at Ruby and finally she nodded. Slowly she left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts and his desperate need of a friend…In need of his brother.

* * *

**THE END**

P.S - I have mentioned it before, but I mention it again. I have another story at Beta checking now that is connected to the "Y" chapter of "The ABC of Limp!Sam" so if you're interested - keep an eye up for it ;D


End file.
